SIOUX CITY – This twice-deported illegal alien from Mexico already guilty in a Northern Iowa court of dealing meth and other crimes tried to high-tail it to freedom as the Iowa State Patrol chased, but found out his destiny might be decades behind bars.
A Mexican man who was illegally in the United States pled guilty June 9, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City, Iowa. Jose De Jesus Mejia-Fraijo, a citizen of Mexico, was convicted of being an aggravated felon found in the United States after illegal reentry.
On March 1, 2025, officers from the Iowa State Patrol encountered Mejia-Fraijo in Sioux City, Iowa, when they arrested him for driving without a valid driver’s license and interference with official acts after a brief attempt to flee from officers on foot. Officers with the Department of Homeland Security were able to determine Mejia-Fraijo is a citizen of Mexico, that he did not have permission to lawfully be present in the United States, and that he was previously removed from the United States on two occasions. Prior to his last removal in 2022, Mejia-Fraijo had been convicted of an aggravated felony offense, namely conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Mejia-Fraijo (pictured at top) remains in custody of the United States Marshals and will remain in custody pending sentencing. He faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and not more than three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security.