Mexican National Pleads Guilty To Illegal Reentry In Lufkin

Getting deported should be a once-in-a-lifetime type of deal. Rigoberto Rodriguez-Moreno is a 44-year-old Mexican national illegally living in Lufkin, and he could be deported for a third time.

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Rodriguez-Moreno was previously deported to Mexico from the U.S. in 1999 when he was 19 or 20. Most recently, he was deported again in 2017.

According to the Lufkin Daily News, his first deportation came with a federal conviction for bringing in and harboring undocumented immigrants. That's human smuggling, and it doesn't seem like he stopped working as a coyote.

Man In Lufkin Continues To Be Deported

Rodriguez-Moreno has a very interesting job. He gets people into the U.S., and he is apparently good at it.

He managed to come back to the States after being deported two previous times, so he has a great track record for getting back in. He was federally convicted in 2015 for illegal reentry by a deported person.

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On March 4, 2025, federal authorities with Homeland Security had information that Rodriguez-Moreno was in the Angelina County Jail on unrelated charges. He was being charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and misdemeanor harassment.

Operation Take Back America Spearheading Prosecution

An investigation by Lufkin Homeland Security and the Angelina County Sheriff's Office confirmed his prior deportations and unauthorized entries into the United States.

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The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas is prosecuting the case. It's all part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative targeting illegal immigration and cartel activity.