An Ecuadorian woman has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Portland, Maine, to reentering the United States after a prior removal. According to court documents, Tamara Iveth Shiguano-Vargas, 29, was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by the Maine State Police for speeding on Interstate 95 on August 4, 2025. During the stop, as police contacted U.S. Border Patrol to help identify the driver, Shiguano-Vargas exited the car and fled. She was later found by police and informed a Border Patrol agent of her Ecuadorian nationality.
Records show that Shiguano-Vargas had previously been removed from the United States in September 2024 and did not have lawful immigration status at the time of her arrest.
Shiguano-Vargas faces up to two years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. Sentencing will occur following completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. The final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation was conducted by the Maine State Police and U.S. Border Patrol.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America, an initiative led by the Department of Justice that aims to address illegal immigration, eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and enhance community safety through coordinated efforts involving resources from programs such as the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
