Mexican Man with Multiple Deportations Sentenced for Illegal Reentry Near Chinook

GREAT FALLS, MT — A Mexican man with multiple deportations was sentenced to time served and immediately remanded to U.S. Border Patrol after pleading guilty to illegal reentry charges, marking the latest case in Montana’s ongoing crackdown on repeat immigration offenders.

Enrique Hernandez-Rodriguez, 51, was discovered east of Chinook on July 26, 2025, during a Montana Highway Patrol traffic stop that revealed a lengthy criminal and immigration history spanning nearly two decades.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris handed down the sentence this week after Hernandez-Rodriguez pleaded guilty in August to illegal reentry charges.

Pattern of Violations

Court records show Hernandez-Rodriguez has accumulated criminal and immigration violations dating back to 2007, including:

• A conviction for negligent driving in Washington
• Driving with a revoked license in North Dakota
• Two prior removals from the United States, with his most recent deportation occurring in January 2021

“Hernandez-Rodriguez’s alien registration file shows a history of criminal and immigration violations dating to 2007,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The defendant acknowledged being a Mexican citizen and admitted “he was in United States without any immigration documents” when confronted by Border Patrol agents who responded to assist the Montana Highway Patrol.

Montana’s Repeat Offender Problem

This case continues a troubling pattern of repeat immigration offenders discovered across Montana in recent months, highlighting the challenge of preventing illegal reentry after deportation.

In August, another Mexican national pleaded guilty to illegal reentry charges after being deported four times, with that defendant facing up to 10 years in prison for similar violations.

Just weeks earlier, a Belgrade woman was arrested on federal charges of harboring undocumented immigrants, while July saw an illegal immigrant sentenced after using a stolen identity for 30 years.

Operation Take Back America

The prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative targeting illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations.

“Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN),” according to federal prosecutors.

The initiative aims 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.”

U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme’s office prosecuted the case, with the U.S. Border Patrol and Montana Highway Patrol conducting the joint investigation that led to Hernandez-Rodriguez’s apprehension near the Canadian border.

The case underscores the ongoing challenges faced by law enforcement agencies working to prevent repeat border crossers from establishing themselves in Montana communities after multiple deportations.