Two Mexican nationals who had previously been removed from the United States were sentenced in Western Washington after returning to the country again.
Jorge Velasquez-Sandoval, 36, and Filadelfo Garcia Garcia, 36, were both sentenced for reentry of a removed alien in recent weeks following separate cases handled in Seattle federal court, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
Velasquez-Sandoval had been removed from the US twice before, in 2009 and 2015. Prosecutors said he later returned and was arrested in Snohomish County in October 2024 for fourth-degree assault involving domestic violence.
He was released, and agents were alerted again in September 2025 after he was arrested for violating a protection order related to that case.
Federal agents obtained a judicial warrant and took Velasquez-Sandoval into custody on Thursday, Feb. 5, according to prosecutors. He pleaded guilty later that month.
At sentencing on Tuesday, March 31, US District Judge James Robart said, “It is clear that Mr. Velasquez-Sandoval has no respect for the law… It looks to me that I’ve got somebody who’s essentially committing crimes every time he’s here.”
Garcia Garcia was first removed from the US in 2018 and again in 2019 after being found in California. Prosecutors said he was located again in December 2025 after an arrest in Lewis County.
In sentencing filings, prosecutors outlined what they described as a history of driving under the influence, including convictions in 2014, 2016, and 2025, along with additional DUI-related arrests and an ignition interlock violation conviction.
At his sentencing this week, US District Judge Jamal Whitehead said, “I shouldn’t have to tell you that drinking and driving is serious… I take that seriously.”
Both men were sentenced to time served — approximately 54 days for Velasquez-Sandoval and 28 days for Garcia Garcia — and will be transferred to immigration authorities for removal proceedings, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
“These cases typify what we are seeing as the sanctuary policies of Washington State prohibit local officials from cooperating with immigration enforcement,” First Assistant US Attorney Charles Neil Floyd said in a statement.
The cases were investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations.
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