Illegal aliens are illegal again

The Trump administration’s increased efforts to oppose illegal immigration are being felt in Minnesota.

Back in May, I wrote about an initiative of the U.S. Department of Justice to ramp up prosecutions for illegal border crossings. You frequently hear (false) statements to the effect that illegally crossing the border is not a “crime” and/or deportations should only occur when the alien has been otherwise convicted of a “serious” crime.

In fact, there is a felony criminal charge under federal law that applies when a previously deported alien crosses back into the United States. I use the word “alien” because that is how the felony charge reads, “re-entry of removed alien.” When you are convicted of illegal re-entry, you are a convicted felon under the law.

I was told that, in a typical year in Minnesota, there are around 10 such cases filed. In 2025 through mid-May, the U.S. Attorney for Minnesota had filed 56 such cases. I checked today and it appears that another 17 or so have been filed since then, bringing the total up over 70, year to date. That updated figure includes a sizable batch filed just yesterday, who appeared in court today in St. Paul.

As federal criminal defendants, illegal aliens prosecuted in district court are allowed all the due process there is, including a court-appointed, taxpayer-paid attorney.

But the process doesn’t have to drag on forever. The district has a “fast-track” process where the defendant can choose to voluntarily waive some of the steps and proceed (almost) directly to re-deportation.

One example of this abbreviated process is “Clemente” a twice-deported Mexican national who was picked up for drunk driving in Mower County on May 3. On May 5, he was handed over to ICE and charged with illegal re-entry later that month. He pled guilty on June 25 and (presumably) handed back to ICE that same day. So, figure it added six weeks to the process and now he is a convicted felon.

Court filings indicate that some of the recent defendants have multiple deportations on their record: some with as maney as 4, 6, one with even seven previous removals.

Some also have one or more convictions for illegal re-entry and for other, unrelated felony offences.

We are now tracking all of these cases, including that of Asongafack Mewoabi, a/k/a “Peter Acha,” who is currently in federal custody and is being held in the Sherburne County jail.

Mr. Mewoabi is due back in federal court on July 14.