U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the arrest of a Colombian national with a lengthy criminal history who has been removed from the United States multiple times but continues to reappear in American communities.
Heyder Molina-Prieto, 38, was taken into custody by ICE New Orleans officers on Sept. 14. According to ICE, Molina-Prieto has been arrested in Florida and Alabama for burglary, conspiracy, fraud, resisting an officer, marijuana possession, aggravated assault on a police officer, larceny, theft, wire fraud, and credit card fraud. She has also been convicted of larceny and fraud in Florida and sentenced to 46 months in prison for those offenses.
The arrest follows a federal indictment last year in Pittsburgh for illegal re-entry of a removed alien. Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti announced in November 2024 that a grand jury had charged Molina-Prieto with re-entering the country after being deported in June 2020 and again in March 2022. That case was investigated by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Silinski.
Public records show Molina-Prieto was arrested in Pennsylvania in late November 2024 in connection with local charges filed by police departments in Monroeville and Upper St. Clair. It remains unclear how she returned to the streets after that arrest, leading to her most recent encounter with ICE in Louisiana.
If convicted on the federal re-entry charge, Molina-Prieto faced a maximum of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. But with a record that includes violent conduct, fraud schemes, and repeated returns to the United States after deportation, ICE officials said her case highlights the challenges of keeping high-risk offenders out of American communities.
The New Orleans field office has not released additional details on her current case status.
