Juan Jose Carrasco Cardenas, a 40-year-old Mexican citizen previously residing in Meriden, Connecticut, has been sentenced to six months in prison for illegally reentering the United States after deportation. The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford, according to David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
Court records show that Carrasco Cardenas first came into contact with U.S. Border Patrol in January 2002 and was voluntarily returned to Mexico. In May 2009, he was found entering the country illegally in Arizona and charged with improper entry of an alien in the District of Arizona. He served five days in jail before being voluntarily returned to Mexico again in June 2009.
In January 2018, Carrasco Cardenas was arrested in Saline County, Kansas on charges related to marijuana trafficking. He was convicted of a state marijuana distribution offense and sentenced to 30 months in jail. Following his release, he was removed to Mexico in October 2019.
Carrasco Cardenas was arrested by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations on August 27, 2025, in Meriden. He pleaded guilty to illegal reentry on September 18 and has remained detained since his arrest. Upon completion of his prison sentence, he will be removed to Mexico.
The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel prosecuted the case.
“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.”
