Jose Benitez Rodriguez/Mexico/Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle, Burglary

Jose Benitez Rodriguez, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico and identified Paisas gang member, was arrested in Sandstone, Minnesota, after federal officers linked him to a record of property and immigration offenses. He has been convicted of illegal reentry under 8 U.S.C. 1326, returning to the United States after a prior removal in violation of federal law.

According to enforcement information, Benitez Rodriguez also has convictions for unauthorized use of a vehicle, a charge that typically covers joyriding or taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent, and for burglary, involving unlawful entry into a building to commit a crime. Officials view the combination of repeat immigration violations, vehicle offenses, and burglary as evidence of sustained criminal conduct.

He was taken into custody during a targeted operation and transferred to immigration detention. A law enforcement spokesman said Benitez Rodriguez will remain detained pending removal proceedings, with his gang affiliation and convictions central to the government’s effort to deport him.