Several recent arrests and a sentencing in federal court underscore the ongoing efforts to address illegal immigration and related criminal activity in Florida. U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced a series of cases involving individuals who had illegally entered or re-entered the United States.
Luis Marcos Hernandez-Granillo, 42, of Mexico: Hernandez-Granillo was indicted on charges of illegal re-entry by a previously deported alien. He faces up to two years in federal prison if convicted. Hernandez-Granillo had been previously removed from the U.S. in 2018 and 2024 and was found to be back in the country illegally in January 2025.
READ: Florida Gov. DeSantis Announces Partnership With ICE On Immigration Enforcement
Maria Del Carmen Sobarso-Gonzalez, 61: Sobarso-Gonzalez was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison for illegal re-entry. She had been removed from the U.S. three times previously and had a prior felony conviction for illegal re-entry.
Ignacio Juan-Velazquez, 34, of Mexico: Juan-Velazquez was sentenced to one year in federal prison for illegal re-entry. He had been deported from the U.S. four times between 2012 and 2017. He was discovered at a rest area on Interstate 75 in September 2024 and admitted to being in the country illegally.
READ: Border Czar Tom Homan Puts Those Leaking Information About ICE Raids On Legal Notice
Maria Lopez-Vega, 51, of Mexico: Lopez-Vega was charged with transporting undocumented aliens for financial gain. She was arrested on February 3, 2025, after a traffic stop revealed she was transporting five undocumented individuals from Texas to Florida. She faces up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted.
These cases were investigated by various agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), the Florida Highway Patrol, and the FBI.
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