An illegal alien who killed a U.S. Marine in a hit-and-run and repeatedly reentered the country is now back in federal custody, facing deportation for the third time.
Story Snapshot
- Mexican national Martin Martinez-Ballinas killed Marine Lance Corporal James Walden III in a 2017 Maryland hit-and-run crash.
- He was deported in 2020 after a felony conviction, then illegally reentered the United States multiple times, drawing new federal sentences.
- He most recently served 37 months in federal prison for illegal reentry before Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took custody on July 22.
- Federal officials say he now faces deportation for the third time, highlighting ongoing concerns about border security and repeat offenders.
Illegal Alien Linked to Marine’s Death Back in ICE Custody
Federal officials report that 38-year-old Mexican national Martin Martinez‑Ballinas is now in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody after finishing a federal prison sentence for illegally reentering the United States. ICE says officers took him into custody on July 22 from the federal prison at Fort Dix in New Jersey, where he had been serving time for illegal reentry after a prior deportation. Authorities state he now faces removal for the third time, following a pattern of returns despite earlier deportations and convictions.
ICE describes Martinez‑Ballinas as a twice‑deported criminal illegal alien whose record includes a felony hit‑and‑run that killed a U.S. Marine, followed by multiple illegal entries. The agency says he was first removed from the country in 2020 after completing his sentence for the deadly crash, then attempted to cross the southern border again in 2021 and was arrested by United States Border Patrol in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. He was later convicted of illegal reentry in the Southern District of Texas and sentenced to 15 months in prison for that offense.
2017 Hit-and-Run Crash That Killed Marine James Walden III
Local reporting from Maryland shows Martinez‑Ballinas was behind the wheel in a 2017 crash that killed 21‑year‑old Marine Lance Corporal James Ray Walden III near Gambrills, Maryland. Patch reported that he pleaded guilty to failure to remain at the scene of an accident resulting in death, a reduced charge from the original case linked to the fatal incident. An Anne Arundel County Circuit Court judge sentenced him to six years in prison and five years of supervised probation after release for the deadly hit‑and‑run.
Coverage of the crash noted that Walden, stationed at Fort Meade, lost his life on a local highway when Martinez‑Ballinas sped away instead of staying at the scene and helping or waiting for police. That crime made him a convicted felon under Maryland law, which later played into his immigration status and made him subject to removal as a criminal alien under federal immigration rules. The case has since become a focus for border‑security advocates who argue that Americans like Walden are paying the price when illegal aliens are allowed to remain or return after serious crimes.
Repeat Illegal Reentry and Federal Sentences
ICE states that after Martinez‑Ballinas finished his Maryland sentence for the crash, he was removed from the United States in 2020 and barred from lawful return. The agency says he tried to illegally reenter in 2021, when United States Border Patrol agents arrested him crossing the southern border in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley. A federal court in the Southern District of Texas then convicted him of illegal reentry, a felony under 8 United States Code section 1326, and sentenced him to 15 months in prison.
ICE reports that after that prison term, officers removed Martinez‑Ballinas a second time in October 2022. Yet by December 2023, ICE says agents again found him back in the United States, this time in Maryland, and took him into custody after another unlawful return. A press release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland later confirmed he pleaded guilty to illegal reentry and in early 2025 received a 37‑month federal sentence for that crime, followed by one year of supervised release. When that sentence ended at Fort Dix, ICE stepped in, beginning what officials say will be his third deportation.
How Federal Law Handles Repeat Illegal Reentry
Federal law makes it a crime for a deported alien to reenter or be found in the United States again without permission from the government. Under 8 United States Code section 1326, illegal reentry can draw up to two years in prison, but the maximum rises to ten years if the prior removal followed a felony conviction, and up to twenty years if it followed an aggravated felony. Legal guides on immigration note that people who have been removed twice can face a twenty‑year bar on reentry and streamlined reinstatement of prior removal orders if they sneak back.
Twice-deported illegal alien who killed U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. James Walden III in a 2017 hit-and-run is back in ICE custody in New Jersey after serving time for yet another illegal reentry
Martin Martinez-Ballinas faces his third deportation. That marine should be alive today!… pic.twitter.com/g1PGJpelX6
— Wake Up NJ 🇺🇸 New Jersey (@wakeupnj) August 2, 2026
Federal removal rules say that, with narrow exceptions, aliens must serve their full criminal sentences before deportation, which is why Martinez‑Ballinas completed multiple prison terms before ICE acted each time. Once a criminal sentence ends, the Department of Homeland Security is expected to take custody quickly and begin removal proceedings, especially when someone has serious convictions on their record. Advocates for tougher enforcement argue this case shows how repeat illegal reentry can still occur despite these laws, and they point to Walden’s death and the repeated returns as proof that border security and deportation systems must remain strict and well‑resourced.
Sources:
thegatewaypundit.com, easternshoreundercover.com, govinfo.gov, patch.com, newsweek.com, biahelp.com, justice.gov
