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BOSTON — A Guatemalan man who was arrested in New Bedford last month pleaded guilty this week to illegally reentering the country after previously being deported in 2019, according to an announcement Friday from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Jose DeLeon Ventura, 30, who is undocumented, was arrested alongside a coworker on April 23 in the city’s North End in the early morning as they were heading to work as painters. He has remained in federal custody since.
DeLeon Ventura pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Per the U.S. Attorney’s office, he was arrested in late 2019 by the U.S. Border Patrol in Arizona and subsequently deported.
“Sometime after his removal, De Leon Ventura unlawfully reentered the United States,” the attorney’s office said Friday. “Federal authorities became aware of De Leon Ventura’s presence in the United States following his arrest in August 2023 by state authorities for operating under the influence of liquor and operating after a suspended license.”
Court records reviewed by The Light show DeLeon Ventura has a criminal record in New Bedford: two charges in 2023 for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol; and another two in 2024 for driving with a suspended license and without an inspection sticker, both of which were dismissed.
For the OUI charges, he is on probation through January 2026, court records show, and he could have the charges dismissed on the condition he completes a state-mandated alcohol education program.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani has scheduled his sentencing hearing for July 14. The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000, according to the federal government.
DeLeon Ventura will be subject to deportation proceedings after serving any sentence imposed by the judge.
The news comes just days after another Guatemalan man residing in New Bedford was indicted for illegally reentering the country. Manuel Ruiz Luis, 52, was arrested in New Bedford on March 31 by agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The U.S. Department of Justice indicated that Luis had multiple convictions prior to his 2012 deportation, including operating under the influence and driving without a license.
Material from previous Light reports was used in this story.
Email Anastasia E. Lennon at alennon@newbedfordlight.org
Well, he had his time in court, now is time for him to be deported. Coming to the US is not for lawbreakers. We as natural born citizens must obey the laws, what makes it ok for the illegals to not obey. That’s with giving them grace that they entered illegally. That alone is reason for deportation. Illegal entry may gain some sympathy, but. Once the law is broken, I agree they should be deported.
Unfortunately, most migrants do not get the ability to go before an Article 3 judge. Remaining in the country as an undocumented immigrant is not a criminal offense – it is civil matter. While the subject of the article received Due Process, due to his illegal entry, many undocumented immigrants – who have committed no crime at all, as they have entered legally — are treated as criminals while afforded none of the protections that the subject of the article was afforded. Is that fair?
Prison sentence should be served in El Salvador.
Trampling on the Eight Amendment is what leads to folks like you also being deported to El Salvador. We must protect the rights of everyone, even folks that are despised by society, even folks we disagree with. These are universal rights. Carving folks out of human rights leads to no one having rights.
I’m very surprised that one of these liberal judges didn’t simply let this creep sneak out the backdoor of the courthouse! LOL