Previously deported child rapist sentenced to 30 months in jail for illegal reentry

On October 2, 2025, US District Judge Mary K. Dimke handed down the maximum penalty allowed under federal sentencing guidelines to 37-year-old Jose Luis Cruz-Agustin. In addition to the prison term, Judge Dimke ordered three years of supervised release, citing Cruz-Agustin’s repeated illegal returns to the United States and his history of violence against women and minors.

According to court documents, Cruz-Agustin came to the attention of federal authorities in March 2025 after he was arrested for driving under the influence and booked into the Franklin County Jail. Immigration officers soon discovered he had been previously deported and had a significant criminal record in Washington state.

His prior convictions include rape in the third degree, assault in the third degree with substantial pain, and furnishing alcohol to a minor, charges stemming from the 2015 rape of two 15-year-old girls after he provided them alcohol. He served 15 months in prison for those crimes before being deported to Mexico.

Federal investigators also uncovered a 2014 domestic violence case, in which Cruz-Agustin chased his then-girlfriend in a vehicle while her child was inside. He blocked her car, dragged her out, assaulted her, and attempted to sexually assault her, according to court records.

Cruz-Agustin illegally returned to the United States in 2016 and was arrested in Arizona. He was convicted of unlawful reentry and sentenced to 21 months in federal prison, then deported again in March 2018. Authorities believe he reentered the United States at some point before March 2025.

At sentencing, Judge Dimke emphasized Cruz-Agustin’s pattern of violent behavior and unlawful reentry, stating that the maximum penalty was justified.

US Attorney Serrano said following the sentencing, “While unlawfully present in the United States, Jose Luis Cruz-Agustin has terrorized and assaulted multiple minors and young women in the Eastern District of Washington. His conduct is unconscionable… such behavior is not tolerated here.”

ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Seattle Acting Field Office Director Laura Hermosillo echoed those sentiments, calling Cruz-Agustin “exactly the kind of public-safety threat we prioritize.”

“Unlawful reentry after removal is a federal offense, and Cruz’s sentence reflects the seriousness of that crime,” Hermosillo said. “He remains in custody and is facing removal, and ICE will keep working to protect the American people and uphold the rule of law.”

The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Laurel J. Holland.