A Dominican national, Celso Herrera-De Los Santos, has pleaded guilty in federal court to illegal reentry after previously being deported from the United States in 2011 and 2017. The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Herrera-De Los Santos, age 49, is currently detained at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) in Rhode Island on state charges related to possession with intent to deliver cocaine. Authorities said he was arrested on May 22, 2025, and identified by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a routine screening at the facility about a week later.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 23, 2025. According to officials, the sentence will be determined by a federal district judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A deportation detainer has been filed in connection with this case.
Assistant United States Attorneys Peter I. Roklan and Dulce Donovan are prosecuting the case, which was investigated by ICE.
According to the Department of Justice, “This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).”
