A previously deported Mexican man, Hermelindo Velazquez-Rivera was sentenced in April to a total of 90 months in prison after pleading guilty to Reentry of a Removed Alien and admitting to violating conditions of supervised release.
In May 2022, Velazquez-Rivera illegally returned to the United States while on a term of supervised release, less than three months after he was deported.
According to the Department of Justice, Velazquez-Rivera had been deported following a prior illegal reentry conviction. His criminal history includes two prior federal convictions for alien smuggling (one that resulted in a crash, and another that involved erratic driving), and a state felony conviction in North Carolina for a fatality he caused while driving under the influence.
Velazquez-Rivera was apprehended by a Border Patrol agent near the border in southern Arizona.