KC Reporter

A Mexican national has admitted guilt in a federal court for unlawfully reentering the United States. The individual, Jose Raul Falcon-Reyes, 36, acknowledged his offense before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes, confessing to one count of returning to the U.S. illegally. Falcon-Reyes was previously adjudicated for improper entry by an alien in 2015, leading to his deportation to Mexico during that year.

On February 15, 2025, Falcon-Reyes was taken into custody in Pettis County, Missouri, following a conviction for felony possession of a controlled substance. He now faces a potential prison sentence of up to two years and may incur a fine reaching $250,000. Sentencing for Falcon-Reyes is scheduled for August 28, 2025, under the jurisdiction of Judge Wimes.

Falcon-Reyes is currently detained and will continue to be held until his sentencing hearing. The prosecution in this case is being managed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rudolph R. Rhodes IV, with the investigation handled by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations.

This legal proceeding is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide campaign aimed at curtailing illegal immigration and dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations to protect communities from violent crime. The operation combines resources and strategies from the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood initiatives.