Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A Guatemalan citizen has been sentenced to 127 days in prison for illegally reentering the United States after being removed. Gerardo Santis-Jiron, also known as Pedro Simon Rivera-Perez, age 36, pleaded guilty on June 10, 2025, to one count of being found in the United States after illegal reentry.
According to court records, Santis-Jiron had previously been removed from the country in 2009. He admitted to returning without permission from the U.S. government. On April 27, 2025, immigration officials located him at Linn County Jail following his arrest on state charges for operating while under the influence.
The sentencing took place in Cedar Rapids before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. In addition to his prison sentence, Santis-Jiron will serve a one-year term of supervised release following his incarceration. There is no parole in the federal system.
Santis-Jiron remains in the custody of the United States Marshal and will be turned over to immigration officials upon completion of his sentence.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), an initiative by the Department of Justice that aims to address illegal immigration and combat transnational criminal organizations through coordinated efforts involving multiple federal programs such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep prosecuted the case, which was investigated by Enforcement and Removal Operations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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