An Ecuadorian national, William Ariel Tamay Guaman, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Portland for illegally re-entering the United States after a prior removal. U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr., sentenced the 23-year-old to time served, which amounts to approximately seven months in prison. Tamay Guaman had pleaded guilty on April 3, 2025.
Court records indicate that on February 4, 2025, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and the FBI conducted surveillance at a residence in South Portland. They observed Tamay Guaman entering a van and subsequently conducted a traffic stop. An ERO agent familiar with him approached the driver for identification. Tamay Guaman provided a false name but was directed to exit the vehicle. After briefly fleeing on foot and resisting arrest, he was taken into custody. He had been previously removed from the United States in September 2023.
The investigation was carried out by ICE-ERO with assistance from the FBI.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative aiming to combat illegal immigration and eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators. The operation integrates efforts from the Department of Justice's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
