An illegal alien who returned to the United States after being deported was sentenced yesterday to three months in federal prison.

Mario Noel Rodriguez Castillo, age 51, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the United States and residing in Iowa City, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 30, 2026, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry into the United States after having been deported. At the guilty plea, Rodriguez Castillo admitted he had previously been deported from the United States and illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government. Rodriguez Castillo was previously deported in 1996, 2002, and 2005. On May 21, 2026, immigration officials learned Rodriguez Castillo had illegally returned to the United States and found him at the Johnson County Jail following his arrest on state charges. Rodriguez Castillo was previously convicted of drug trafficking charges in Utah in 1996 and 1997. In 1998 he was convicted of reentry of a deported alien in federal court in Utah. In 2003, he was convicted of deported alien found in the United States in federal court in California. Rodriguez Castillo was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Rodriguez Castillo was sentenced to 94 days’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

Rodriguez Castillo is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be turned over to immigration officials.

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.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 26-cr-44.

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