OKLAHOMA CITY – President Trump’s campaign to remove illegal immigrants from the United States may be tougher to win than the White House wants to admit.
Finding, arresting, and deporting aliens is one thing. Keeping them from returning is another, as several cases in Oklahoma demonstrate.
In the Sooner State, 11 cases of Hispanics who were charged with, pleaded guilty to, or were sentenced for illegal reentry into the United States – several of whom were deported multiple times – were disposed of during the first two months of this year. And in another case, a Central American who overstayed his visa is accused of transportation, distribution, and possession of child pornography.
• A Mexican national who entered the U.S. illegally on a dozen occasions and has three prior federal convictions was sentenced Feb. 20 in Oklahoma City’s federal district court to serve four years in prison.
According to court records, an Oklahoma City police officer made a traffic stop that resulted in the arrest of Geronimo Estrada-Villa, 46, for not having a valid driver’s license and for being wanted on an active state felony warrant.
The warrant stemmed from Estrada-Villa allegedly violating the terms and conditions of a deferred sentence granted in a 2004 Oklahoma County District Court case for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia, records reflect.
The officer booked Estrada- Villa into the Oklahoma County jail, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers later took him into custody and determined that he was a Mexican citizen.
A grand jury in Oklahoma City’s Western District federal court indicted Estrada-Villa last October, charging him with reentry of a removed alien; he pleaded guilty a month later.
U.S. District Court Judge Jodi W. Dishman sentenced Estrada-Villa to serve 48 months in federal prison. In announcing her sentence, the judge noted the nature and circumstances of the offense, Estrada-Villa’s criminal history, and the need to deter him from illegally reentering the U.S. again.
On at least 12 prior occasions, Estrada-Villa illegally entered the U.S. He voluntarily agreed to return to Mexico on seven of those occasions and was forcibly deported five other times. Judge Dishman also noted Estrada-Villa’s three prior convictions in federal court for illegal reentry into the U.S., which resulted in federal prison sentences of 27 months, 37 months, and 40 months.
• Adolfo Carranza De La Rosa – who was kicked out of the U.S. 10 times between 2001 and 2014 – was indicted Feb. 20 for illegal reentry yet again after his arrest in western Oklahoma on Feb. 13.
• The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, announced that Salvador Madrigal-Sanchez, 73, of Mexico, was sentenced Feb. 11 to three years in federal prison after admitting he reentered the U.S. illegally.
According to investigators, Madrigal-Sanchez was found in the U.S. in October 2023 after having been previously deported on four prior occasions.
Madrigal-Sanchez, who also is known by at least three aliases, will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
The charge against Madrigal- Sanchez arose from an investigation by ICE, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control, and the Hughes County Sheriff’s Office.
• The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma also announced that Adan Garcia-Nava, 36, of Mexico, was sentenced Jan. 15 to eight months in federal prison for unlawful reentry of a removed alien.
Garcia-Nava pleaded guilty to the charge last September. According to investigators, he was found in the U.S. last May after having been previously deported and removed on four prior occasions.
The charge against Garcia- Nava arose from an investigation by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and ICE.
• Luis Enrique Rodriguez- Arroyo, 31, a/k/a “Shorty,” was indicted in Oklahoma City’s federal court with reentry of a removed alien; his case is scheduled on the court’s March 5 jury docket. Rodriguez-Arroyo was found in western Oklahoma on Dec. 27, 2024, after five previous deportations: in 2012, twice in 2013, in 2019 and again in 2022.
• Adelby Isloa Martinez Mendez, 35, of Honduras, pleaded guilty in Muskogee’s Eastern District federal court in early January to unlawful reentry of a removed alien. Mendez was found in the U.S. on March 5, 2024, after having been previously deported on two prior occasions. The charges arose from an investigation by the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office and ICE.
• Gerson Adolfo Fajardo- Chavarria, 40, identified as Hispanic, was indicted in Oklahoma City’s federal district court on Jan. 21 for being in the U.S. illegally last November after having been deported previously in 2007, 2008, and again in 2023. He is scheduled for trial on the court’s March 11 jury docket.
• Andres Calderson-Mendoza, 44, apparently was living in Edmond when he was arrested Dec. 5, 2024, by ICE deportation officers. He was previously deported to Mexico in May 2015 and again in August 2024. Calderson- Mendoza has a change of plea hearing scheduled in Oklahoma City’s federal district court on March 6, records show.
• An ICE deportation officer found Jose Rivas-Valladares, 34, in the Cleveland County Jail last October and learned he was previously removed from the U.S. in 2019. Rivas- Valladares’ case is scheduled on the Oklahoma City federal court’s March 5 jury docket.
• Mayolo Guerrero-Rincon, 40, previously deported from the U.S. in 2018 and again in 2020, was arrested in Oklahoma last November. His case is on the Oklahoma City federal court’s March 11 jury docket.
• Alejandro Santander-Trejo, 35, who has four aliases, was indicted for reentry of an alien who previously was removed from the U.S. in 2012, 2013, and 2020. He has a change of plea hearing scheduled for March 7 in Oklahoma City’s federal district court.
• And finally, Gustavo Gordillo, 41, a Guatemalan who should have returned home but didn’t, was charged Feb. 5 in OKC’s federal district court with transportation, distribution, and possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester announced.
An affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint reported that in July 2020, investigators with the Oklahoma City Police Department received a cyber tip after files containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) were uploaded to a Google Photos account. The affidavit alleges that the suspect who uploaded the photos, later determined to be Gordillo, lived in Oklahoma City. Detectives investigated the tip, as well as additional tips from Facebook, and learned that Gordillo had communicated with a child living out of state. The affidavit further alleges Gordillo provided CSAM to and received CSAM from the child.
In December 2024, additional investigation led law enforcement to a residence in the Oklahoma City metro that was connected with Gordillo.
He was charged on Jan. 27, 2025, and was arrested by Homeland Security Investigations and Oklahoma City Police Department two days later. If he’s found guilty, Gordillo faces up to 60 years in federal prison.
Records show Gordillo entered the United States on a temporary visa that has since expired.