A Mexican national was slapped with a 20-year sentence for illegal re-entry into the U.S., federal authorities said Tuesday. Luis Antonio Talamantes-Romero, 36, will serve this sentence following a life term plus 25 years he received for the murder of Jackie Vigil in New Mexico.
Talamantes-Romero's arrest came after a vigilant ICE agent identified him trying to sneak back into the United States, as reported by The U.S. Department of Justice. The illegal re-entry charge led to a May 2020 guilty plea. While roaming free, after having been previously deported several times, Talamantes-Romero ended Vigil's life during a botched robbery back in 2019.
Described as a harrowing incident, Vigil was warming up her car in Albuquerque when Talamantes-Romero decided to rob her, eventually shooting her in the head when she attempted to alert others using her vehicle's horn. "This maximum prison sentence for Talamantes-Romero will prevent him from further violating our immigration laws and protects the public from his violent acts, which sadly included the senseless murder of an innocent woman," said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas, according to a statement obtained by FOX San Antonio.
After a New Mexico jury found him guilty of murder among a slew of other charges, the subsequent investigation by ICE-ERO helped seal his fate. Talamantes-Romero's 20 years for illegal re-entry will run consecutively with his New Mexico sentence, making parole a non-option in the federal prison system. Committed to public safety, "We will continue to identify, arrest and remove noncitizens who pose a threat to our nation," said Director Corey Price for the ERO San Antonio Field Office, while speaking to a street under construction.
Assistance from the FBI Albuquerque Field Office and the Albuquerque Police Department proved crucial in the prosecution of Talamantes-Romero. Multiple U.S. Attorneys were involved in bringing this case to a close, showcasing the collaborative effort across state and federal agencies to administer justice for crimes that cut across the very fabric of the community.
