A Guatemalan national residing unlawfully in New Bedford has been sentenced for illegal reentry into the United States. Jose De Leon Ventura, 30, received a five-month prison sentence from U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani. Following his prison term, he will undergo one year of supervised release and is subject to deportation after serving his sentence.
In May 2025, De Leon Ventura pleaded guilty to unlawful reentry of a deported alien. He was arrested in April 2025 and has been in custody since then. Previously removed from the United States in December 2019 after being apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol in Yuma, Arizona, De Leon Ventura returned unlawfully at an unspecified time.
Federal authorities discovered De Leon Ventura’s presence in the country following his arrest in August 2023 for operating under the influence of liquor and driving with a suspended license.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of Boston’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Lyons prosecuted the case.
