‘All of this could be avoided’: 2 illegal immigrants sentenced for re-entry as prosecutor blasts WA’s lack of cooperation

Two illegal immigrants have been federally charged with returning to the U.S. after their removal, and both were arrested federally after being jailed for new crimes.

Miguel Rangel Jimenez, 49, of Mexico, was sentenced last week to a year in prison for his illegal re-entry as a removed “illegal alien.” U.S. District Judge James L. Robart stated that Jimenez had a history of violence, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.

Since 2000, Jimenez had unlawfully entered the U.S. seven times after being removed, according to records filed in the case. In 2001, he was removed from the country after he received a 19-month sentence in Oregon for two counts of felony fourth-degree assault and one count of unlawful use of a weapon.

The DOJ noted Jimenez had been removed from the U.S. six times in total: 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2016, and 2021.

In January 2024, Homeland Security agents were alerted that Jimenez had been arrested for criminal trespassing and the possession of a controlled substance in Snohomish County. Jimenez was released from state custody on those charges.

On December 13, 2025, Jimenez was arrested for fourth-degree domestic violence assault, which he was later convicted of. In this case, the victim reported that he had repeatedly hit her, pulled her hair, and put his hand over her mouth, which resulted in visible marks on her body.

Four days after his arrest, he was arrested again for reportedly punching a victim five or six times in the face. The victim had been working at an apartment complex from which Jimenez had been previously evicted.

The DOJ noted that a federal criminal complaint was filed against Jimenez in January, and he was brought into federal custody in March.

Prosecutors detail a second case with a similar history of violence

David Ortiz Tino, 31, of Guatemala, was sentenced to one year and a day in prison for illegally re-entering the U.S. In January 2020, Tino was arrested in Nebraska for first-degree assault and later convicted of disorderly conduct.

In 2021, Tino was sentenced to three years in prison for two additional convictions for child abuse and assault on a pregnant woman. In that case, Tino caused the victim to lose consciousness.

Tino was removed from the U.S. and sent to Guatemala in January 2023. In March 2025, Tino was arrested in Snohomish County for domestic violence offenses.

The DOJ noted a criminal complaint was filed against Tino in January, and he was later arrested and brought into federal custody in February 2026.

“These cases represent the work we are doing to make our community safer, despite the efforts of Washington State to frustrate immigration enforcement,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “Both of these defendants were removed from the U.S. and returned illegally multiple times. They were encountered by local law enforcement multiple times, and in each case, they were released back into the community to commit additional crimes, including violent assaults.

“When ICE learns of a state arrest, our attorneys work quickly to get judicial arrest warrants so that they will not be released to our streets yet again,” Floyd continued. “All of this could be avoided if elected officials would allow for even a minimum amount of cooperation.”

Follow Jason Sutich on X. Send news tips here.