An El Salvadorian national and a Guatemalan national have been indicted on separate charges of unlawful reentry into the United States, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack.
Juan Ruiz, 30, from El Salvador, was previously deported or removed three times—on June 10, 2016; May 18, 2017; and October 14, 2021. He was found in New Hampshire on April 22, 2025.
Jorge Abelino Roque-Mejia, a 36-year-old Guatemalan national who had been deported to Guatemala on May 22, 2009, was located in New Hampshire on April 20, 2025.
Both individuals are currently held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and will appear in federal court at a later date.
The law under which they are charged allows for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine reaching $250,000. Sentences are determined by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant statutes.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted the investigations with Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen prosecuting the cases.
This legal action is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative aiming to address illegal immigration and combat cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators. The operation integrates resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The allegations against both defendants remain unproven until guilt is established beyond reasonable doubt in court proceedings.
