A Guatemalan citizen was sentenced on September 11, 2025, for illegally reentering the United States after being previously removed. Gerardo Santis-Jiron, also known as Pedro Simon Rivera-Perez, age 36, received a prison sentence of 127 days following his guilty plea to one count of being found in the United States after illegal reentry.
Santis-Jiron admitted during his plea hearing that he had been removed from the country in 2009 and returned without government permission. He was discovered by immigration officials at the Linn County Jail on April 27, 2025, after being arrested on state charges related to operating while under the influence.
United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand imposed the sentence in Cedar Rapids. In addition to imprisonment, Santis-Jiron will serve a one-year term of supervised release following his prison term. Federal law does not allow for parole.
Santis-Jiron is currently in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending transfer to immigration authorities.
The case falls under Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), a national effort led by the Department of Justice that focuses on countering illegal immigration and dismantling criminal organizations. The initiative brings together resources from programs such as the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
“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).”
Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep prosecuted this case with assistance from Enforcement and Removal Operations within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
