KC Reporter

A Mexican national living illegally in Sedalia, Missouri, has been sentenced for unlawful reentry into the United States. Jesus Mendoza Cortes, 35, received a sentence of 14 months in federal prison without parole and one year of supervised release. The sentencing was carried out by United States District Judge Stephen R. Bough.

Mendoza Cortes pleaded guilty on February 20, 2025, to unlawfully re-entering the country after being deported. He had been removed from the U.S. previously and returned without obtaining consent from either the Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Under federal law, it is illegal for an alien to knowingly re-enter the U.S. without permission after removal.

Government records show that Mendoza Cortes had been deported eleven times since 2006 and unlawfully returned in 2018. He was discovered in the Western District of Missouri following his arrest by the Pettis County Sheriff's Office on June 1, 2024, for charges including unlawful use of a weapon and assault in the second degree. These charges are still pending in Pettis County.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Cecily L. Hicks is prosecuting this case, which was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations.

This investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). The operation utilizes resources from various Department of Justice programs such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).