By: Devin Fry
WALSH COUNTY, N.D. (Valley News Live) – A Mexican national with multiple felony drug convictions is facing federal charges with illegal reentry into the United States after being arrested during a traffic stop in Walsh County.
Jesus Gilberto Benavides-Benavides, 51, was charged October 6 in U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota with violating federal immigration law. He faces enhanced penalties due to prior aggravated felony convictions.
A Walsh County Sheriff’s Deputy stopped Benavides for speeding on October 2 while he was driving a semi about one mile east of Pisek on Highway 15. The deputy contacted the Law Enforcement Support Center after checking Benavides’ Mexican driver’s license.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deportation Officer responded after Benavides was identified as a previously deported individual with felony convictions.
Benavides was formally removed from the United States on Dec. 19, 2014, through the Brownsville, Texas, port of entry following a deportation order issued two days earlier in Harlingen, Texas.
Court records show Benavides has three felony drug convictions spanning nearly two decades. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 1996 for felony marijuana possession in Rio Grande City, Texas. In 2005, he received 84 months in prison for felony possession of a controlled substance in Houston. His most recent conviction came in 2014 in federal court in San Antonio, where he was sentenced to 26 months for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
During questioning at the ICE office in Grand Forks, Benavides said he paid a smuggler to illegally cross the Rio Grande near Roma, Texas, in October of 2023. He told officers he did not seek permission to re-enter the country after his deportation.
Benavides also said he had no immigration documents allowing him to remain in the United States. He declined an offer to contact the Mexican Consulate.
Fingerprint analysis confirmed Benavides’ identity and immigration history. He is being held at the Grand Forks County Correctional Center under ICE custody.
The charge of illegal reentry after removal carries enhanced penalties for individuals with prior aggravated felony convictions.
