Mexican National Sentenced for Repeated Illegal Reentry into U.S. Following Prior Felony Conviction

A Mexican national with a history of deportation and felony conviction has been sentenced to over three years in federal prison for unlawfully reentering the United States. Martin Martinez-Ballinas, 38, received a 37-month prison sentence and one year of supervised release for illegally returning to the country after being previously deported twice, including following a serious felony conviction in Maryland.

Court records show that Martinez-Ballinas was first deported in 2020 after serving a sentence related to a 2017 felony conviction in Maryland. That offense stemmed from a fatal traffic incident involving an off-duty Marine. He was later apprehended in Texas in 2021 after attempting to cross the southern border and was sentenced to 15 months in prison for illegal reentry. Following his second deportation in 2022, Martinez-Ballinas again entered the U.S. in December 2023.

Immigration authorities apprehended Martinez-Ballinas in Maryland shortly after his third illegal reentry. He pleaded guilty to the latest offense in January 2025, leading to the sentencing announced by U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby in Greenbelt, Maryland. His case was prosecuted by federal attorneys with the support of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations.

Officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland and ICE-ERO emphasized their ongoing collaboration in addressing illegal reentry cases involving individuals with serious prior convictions. The case was investigated by ICE-ERO’s Baltimore Field Office and prosecuted by attorneys from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Article by multiple RFHC contributors, based upon information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland

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