Man Deported 5 Times Gets Prison For Illegal Re-Entry

DOVER, Del. (AP) -- A man arrested in Delaware on immigration and drug charges this year after having been deported five times to the Dominican Republic has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for illegal re-entry.

A federal judge on Friday also sentenced Richard Diaz-Garcia to one year for heroin possession, but that sentence will run concurrently with the 15-month term for violating immigration laws.

Diaz-Garcia, who has two previous convictions for illegal re-entry, faced up to 11 years behind bars.

His February arrest drew renewed attention to a bill introduced in the legislature last year that would have made Delaware a "sanctuary state."

State Sen. Bryan Townsend of Newark, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Congress in next week's primary election, withdrew the legislation shortly before Diaz-Garcia entered his guilty plea.

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