Mexican Man Sentenced to 14 Months in Prison for Illegal Reentry

According to court documents, Sergio Rodriguez-Arevalos, 43, was arrested following a traffic stop on Interstate 10 by a deputy with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Interdiction Patrol.  Border Patrol agents were called in to assist and determined that Rodriguez-Arevalos was not lawfully present in the United States.  Rodriguez-Arevalos was arrested and transported to the Gulfport Border Patrol station for processing.

Rodriguez-Arevalos’ fingerprints were scanned into DHS electronic databases and his identity was confirmed based on computerized fingerprint analysis and visual analysis of his prior immigration photographs, and other official information.  Official records revealed that in 1998, a U.S. Immigration Judge ordered Rodriguez-Arevalos to be removed to Mexico, and he was physically removed in September, 1998.  Rodriguez-Arevalos later reentered the U.S. and was removed an additional three times before reentering yet again and being arrested in December 2020.  Further, Rodriguez-Arevalos had been convicted of multiple misdemeanor offenses, including driving under the influence, while illegally residing in the United States.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Border Patrol and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department.

The case was prosecuted by  Assistant United States Attorney Stan Harris.