KC Reporter

A Mexican national residing illegally in Kansas City, Missouri, has been sentenced for illegal re-entry and firearm possession. Jehu Jaziel Carranza-Rangel, 33, received a sentence of four years and six months in federal prison without parole. This will be followed by three years of supervised release.

Carranza-Rangel pleaded guilty on November 22, 2024, to charges of re-entering the United States after previous removal and possessing a firearm as an illegal alien. He acknowledged that he was aware he did not have legal permission to enter or remain in the country and that his status prohibited him from having a firearm.

Federal law prohibits aliens from knowingly re-entering the U.S. without permission following removal. Carranza-Rangel had been removed from the U.S. on four occasions: 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2020. After his last removal in 2020, he returned unlawfully and was arrested in July 2024 in the Western District of Missouri with live ammunition in his possession. Additionally, Carranza-Rangel has a prior conviction for firearm possession in Kansas from 2020.

The case is prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Amanda Hanson and investigated by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations.

This sentencing is part of Operation Take Back America. The initiative aims to combat illegal immigration and eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators through resources like the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).