A Mexican man who illegally returned to the United States after being deported was sentenced today to eight months in prison.
Alfonso Salazar-Ruiz, age 41, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the United States and residing in Eagle Grove, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 5, 2018, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry into the United States after having been convicted of a felony offense.
At the guilty plea, Salazar-Ruiz admitted he had previously been deported from the United States in October 2017 and illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government. Salazar-Ruiz was found by immigration agents in October 2018 after he was charged in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, with possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and interference with official acts. That case is still pending. Salazar-Ruiz provided a false name to law enforcement when he was arrested. Fingerprint analysis confirmed Salazar-Ruiz’s identity and prior removal from the United States. Salazar-Ruiz has prior convictions in Wright County, Iowa, for possession of methamphetamine in 2015, two convictions for driving while license under suspension in 2017, and one conviction for driving while barred, habitual offender in 2017. Salazar-Ruiz has also been convicted nine times for driving without a valid driver’s license.
Salazar-Ruiz was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Salazar-Ruiz was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Salazar-Ruiz is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 18-CR-3052-CJW.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
