(NIT photo)
CEDAR RAPIDS — A 22-year-old Mexican citizen who had already been deported from the United States was sentenced to federal prison after authorities discovered he had illegally returned to Iowa, federal prosecutors say.
Mario Israel Ortiz-Gonzalez, 22, was sentenced to 124 days in federal prison after pleading guilty June 1, 2026, to one count of illegal reentry into the United States after deportation.
Ortiz-Gonzalez (pictured at top) admitted during his guilty plea that he had previously been removed from the United States and later returned without receiving permission from the federal government.
His previous deportation occurred in November 2025.
Just four months later, on March 15, 2026, immigration authorities learned that Ortiz-Gonzalez was again in the United States. Officials located him at the Dubuque County Jail, where he was being held following an arrest on state charges.
Federal prosecutors said Ortiz-Gonzalez also has a criminal record that includes two previous convictions for operating while intoxicated and a conviction for interference with official acts.
Ortiz-Gonzalez was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids by Chief Judge C.J. Williams.
In addition to the 124-day prison term, Williams ordered Ortiz-Gonzalez to serve one year of supervised release following his incarceration. There is no parole in the federal prison system.
Separate Iowa custody records show Ortiz-Gonzalez was booked into the Bremer County Jail in Waverly at 3:05 p.m. on June 17, 2026. A custody status entry dated July 13 at 2:43 p.m. continued to list him as “in custody” at the Bremer County Jail.
The federal sentencing announcement states Ortiz-Gonzalez is being held in the custody of the United States Marshals Service until he can be turned over to immigration officials. The Bremer County Jail may be housing him on behalf of federal authorities.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Morfitt.
The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated the case.