Sign in Subscribe
By Organ Mountain News on

Woman sentenced to 10 years in prison in New Mexico after seventh federal reentry conviction

Federal prosecutors say a 60-year-old Mexican national was sentenced to 10 years in prison in New Mexico after pleading guilty to reentry following removal.

Federal Court Immigration Local News
Woman sentenced to 10 years in prison in New Mexico after seventh federal reentry conviction
(Courtesy image / U.S. Department of Justice)

Federal prosecutors say 60-year-old Mexican national had previously been deported six times

Organ Mountain News report

ALBUQUERQUE - A 60-year-old Mexican national has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to reentry following removal, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico.

Federal prosecutors said Elena Ernestina Pedroza was encountered by U.S. Border Patrol agents on Oct. 11, 2025, in Doña Ana County.

According to court records cited in a Justice Department news release, Pedroza had previously been convicted of reentry following removal and deported to Mexico six times, most recently in August 2025.

Prosecutors said Pedroza had previously received a combined total of 88 months in prison across her earlier reentry convictions. In the current case, the government sought a longer sentence as a deterrent.

Pedroza later pleaded guilty to reentry following removal and was sentenced to 120 months in prison.

The U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Silvia Delgado prosecuted it.

Keep reading:
Judge orders release without bond for former Mesilla Valley Behavioral Hospital nurse facing sex charges — A magistrate judge released Kayla Salcido on her own recognizance with strict conditions while she faces multiple felony charges alleging sexual acts with a juvenile patient she met while working at the Las Cruces facility.
Las Cruces man charged after stolen car crash leaves woman airlifted to El Paso hospital — Prosecutors seek to keep Angel Torres-Tovar jailed pending trial after investigators say a stolen Kia crash near N. Highway 28 left a woman seriously injured and flown to University Medical Center in El Paso.
NMSU football player arrested on domestic battery charges tied to incidents in campus dorm — Court records allege two altercations between March 8 and March 12 inside Piñon Hall involving Aggies linebacker Drake Williams and a woman he had been in a relationship with.

Cut through the noise

Sign up for our free email newsletter to receive the latest headlines from Organ Mountain News

Read next

You’re free to republish our stories — with credit. Our journalism is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Please edit only for style or length, include attribution and a link back to Organ Mountain News. AP and Getty images may not be reused. See our republishing guidelines for more.