DALLAS — United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould announced that an illegal alien from Mexico, with seven convictions for driving while intoxicated, was sentenced to 6+ years in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States. Fernando Salvador Perez Morales, 46, was indicted in November 2025 for illegally reentering the U.S. Perez-Morales pled guilty in March. U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr sentenced him to 74 months in federal prison on Sept. 23. “Individuals who repeatedly violate our immigration laws and endanger our communities by driving drunk—especially after multiple removals—are not welcome in the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “With seven DWI convictions, including hit and run crashes, Perez-Morales continued to illegally return and put North Texans at risk. This sentence underscores our commitment to protecting the public and enforcing federal immigration law. We appreciate the work of our ICE partners and the prosecutors who secured this conviction.” “After violating our nation’s laws to illegally re-enter the country three times, this criminal alien repeatedly put the lives of innocent Americans in jeopardy by driving while he was intoxicated on seven different occasions, fleeing the scene twice,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office Director Miguel Vergara. “While sanctuary politicians and the media work to shield dangerous criminal aliens like this from deportation, our officers will continue to work tirelessly to enforce our nation’s immigration laws and remove illegal aliens who pose a threat to our communities.”
According to court records, between 2009 and 2025, Perez-Morales was convicted seven times of DWI, two of which involved hit and run accidents. In August 2025, Perez-Morales was apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement his seventh conviction. Perez-Morales was removed from the U.S. in 2013 and 2020 and will be removed again once he fulfills his 74-month sentence in federal prison.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the Investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marbel Leonel Munoz and Eric Bales from the Major Crimes Section prosecuted the case.