BALTIMORE — A man who three times entered the United States illegally will spend the next three-years behind bars.
Martin Martinez-Ballinas, 38, was deported twice in the past to his native country of Mexico.
But not before crashing into a U.S. Marine in Gambrills, killing him.
James Walden, 21, was stationed at Ft. Meade at the time his motorcycle was struck by Martinez-Ballinas in February of 2017.
According to WJLA/ABC-7, Martinez-Ballinas fled the scene, and was later arrested by Anne Arundel County Police.
A judge sentenced him to six-years jail time. Less than half-way through his sentence, in 2020, Martinez-Ballinas was deported.
He returned and was captured a year later at the U.S. Southern Border in Texas.
For that, he was handed a 15-month prison sentence, followed by a second deportation in October 2022.
He came back and was apprehended once again in December 2023, leading to this latest sentence.
Since President Donald Trump retook the White House in January, his Administration has specifically targeted immigrants with prior criminal records, living in the country illegally.
Maryland has been one of many recent targets of ICE enforcement, including some that have received national attention.
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The state is also home to Rachel Morin and Kayla Hamilton, two Harford County women, murdered by a pair of undocumented Salvadoran men, whose cases helped reignite the nation's immigration debate during the 2024 Presidential Election cycle.
