Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, provided updates on seven recent immigration cases within the district.
According to Siebert, “On Jan. 20 the President signed executive orders addressing the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws. Protecting the American People Against Invasion recognized that enforcing our Nation’s immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States, and that it is the policy of the United States to faithfully execute the immigration laws against all inadmissible and removable aliens, particularly those aliens who threaten the safety or security of the American people. The order tasked the Department of Justice with prioritizing the prosecution of criminal offenses related to the unauthorized entry or continued unauthorized presence of aliens in the United States. Securing Our Borders prioritizes the pursuit of criminal charges against illegal aliens who violate immigration laws and against those who facilitate their unlawful presence in the United States.”
The cases involved individuals from El Salvador and Honduras who had been previously removed from the country but were found again in Virginia after reentering illegally. In each case, federal authorities arrested and prosecuted these individuals for illegal reentry after removal.
Wilber Alexander Andrade-Castellon, a Salvadoran national, was removed from the U.S. three times between 2004 and 2015 but reentered unlawfully after his last removal. He was detained by ICE agents at Fairfax County Detention Center in August 2024 and later pled guilty to illegal reentry.
Daniel Alberto Urbina Romero, from Honduras, was convicted in Virginia in 2018 for abduction with intent to defile and aggravated sexual battery before being removed in January 2023. After returning illegally, he was discovered following a traffic violation in Loudoun County and pled guilty to illegal reentry after removal due to an aggravated felony conviction.
Carlos Antonio Flores Monroy entered illegally from El Salvador in 2001 and was ordered removed by an Immigration Judge in 2007. After a conviction for carrying a concealed weapon earlier this year and subsequent removal last October, he was encountered again by immigration officials in Richmond this May and pled guilty to illegal reentry.
Maynor Dionicio Hernandez-Reyes from Honduras was deported in August 2021 but detained at Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail this April for unlawful presence; he pled guilty to illegal reentry following prior removal.
Jose Adoney Monge-Santos had been removed three times since 2013 after multiple arrests related mostly to public intoxication; more recently he faced charges including assault, property damage, malicious wounding by mob, public intoxication, trespass, before pleading guilty on August 11 for illegal reentry.
Miguel Angel Alvarado Cordero from El Salvador was first deported February 2022 but returned unlawfully; following various charges including controlled substance possession and other felonies while detained in Fairfax County earlier this year he pled guilty on August 6.
Wilmer Roberto Lopez-Mejia entered illegally from Honduras in June 2005; he was convicted of unlawful wounding stemming from violent crimes committed three years later before being deported but returned unlawfully once again—he pled guilty this April and awaits sentencing.
The press release also noted that Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative using resources from the Department of Justice aimed at reducing illegal immigration as well as eliminating transnational criminal organizations linked with violent crime.
A copy of this press release is available through the website of U.S. Attorney’s Office for Eastern District of Virginia. Additional court documents can be accessed via the District Court for Eastern District of Virginia or PACER by searching case numbers referenced above.
