Mexican citizen Juan Jose Carrasco Cardenas, 39, is charged with illegally reentering the U.S. after being deported. He was arrested by ICE in Meriden on Aug. 27.
HARTFORD, Conn. — A Mexican man in Connecticut has been charged with illegally reentering the United States after previously having been deported.
According to a report Wednesday from the Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, 39-year-old Juan Jose Carrasco Cardenas has been charged by federal criminal complaint.
Cardenas was reportedly arrested by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations on Aug. 27 in Meriden.
He appeared before a judge in Hartford federal court on Wednesday and was ordered detained.
Court documents and statements note that in January 2002, Carrasco was discovered by U.S. Border Patrol personnel and issued a voluntary return to Mexico.
In May 2009, members of the U.S. Border Patrol are said to have encountered Carrasco illegally entering the country in Arizona.
Prosecutors added that in January 2018, Carrasco was arrested in Saline County, Kan. and charged with multiple offenses connected to trafficking marijuana. He was convicted of a state marijuana distribution offense and sentenced to 30 months in jail.
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In October 2019, Carrasco was removed to Mexico.
However, on Aug. 27, Carrasco was arrested in Meriden by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations members.
If convicted of unlawful reentry, Carrasco faces a maximum prison term of 10 years.
Prosecutors stressed that a charge is only an allegation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations staff and is part of Operation Take Back America, which aims to protect communities from violent crime while eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.Â
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