PHILADELPHIA, PA — Two Mexican nationals with histories of repeated deportations were sentenced this week in federal court for illegally reentering the United States, the Justice Department announced.
David Gonzalez-Castillo, 47, received a two-year prison sentence from U.S. District Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro. He will be deported after serving his term. Gonzalez-Castillo had been removed from the U.S. four times in 2009 following encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Border Patrol in Texas and Arizona.
In October 2024, Gonzalez-Castillo was arrested by Coatesville police in Pennsylvania and later convicted of simple assault in Chester County. ICE took custody of him in March, and he pleaded guilty in May to illegal reentry after a federal indictment.
In a separate case, Saul Lopez Rodriguez, 32, was sentenced to six months in prison by U.S. District Judge Joshua D. Wolson and will also be deported following his release. Lopez Rodriguez had been deported four times between 2012 and 2013, and again in 2016 after pleading guilty to illegal reentry in New Mexico.
Last year, Lopez Rodriguez was arrested by Norristown police and pleaded guilty to reckless driving. ICE detained him during a traffic stop in June. He was charged the following month and pleaded guilty to illegal reentry, waiving prosecution by indictment.
“These prosecutions underscore our commitment to enforcing immigration law and protecting our communities from individuals who repeatedly violate the nation’s borders,” said U.S. Attorney David Metcalf.
The cases were part of Operation Take Back America, a Justice Department initiative combining efforts from the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods. This program targets illegal immigration, cartels, and transnational criminal organizations.
Investigations were led by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Francis Weber and Erica Kivitz, with support from local and federal law enforcement.
