A Salvadoran national, Jose Antonio Del Cid, pleaded guilty on Mar. 24 in federal court to illegally reentering the United States after being removed following a felony conviction for aggravated sexual battery with a child under 13.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by federal authorities to address illegal immigration and violent crime. Del Cid, age 54, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to one count of unlawfully returning to the United States after removal subsequent to an aggravated felony conviction.
Del Cid was previously convicted in Fairfax, Virginia in 2022 and sentenced to two years in prison for aggravated sexual battery involving a child under the age of thirteen. After serving his sentence, he was deported to El Salvador in 2023. He was arrested again on Oct. 11, 2025, in Grandview, Missouri by Immigration & Customs Enforcement following an arrest for trespassing.
Federal statutes allow for a sentence of up to twenty years in prison without parole and a maximum fine of $250,000 for this offense. The final sentence will be determined by the court based on advisory guidelines and other statutory factors following a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office. Del Cid remains in custody pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Venneman is prosecuting the case with support from Immigration & Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement & Removal Operations as part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and criminal organizations.
The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri supports community outreach programs addressing violent crime and drug trafficking according to its official website. The office handles federal prosecutions across sixty-six counties from Iowa’s border southward through Arkansas and collaborates with law enforcement partners at all levels according to its official website. Its main offices are located in Kansas City, Jefferson City, and Springfield according to its official website.
