Jairo Eliu Aguilar-Lopez, a 54-year-old citizen of El Salvador, has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison and one year of supervised release for illegally reentering the United States after being deported twice. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Adam B. Abelson in Baltimore.
The announcement came from Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, alongside Acting Field Office Director Jeremy Bacon from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Baltimore office.
Aguilar-Lopez initially entered the United States in February 2019 but was removed by law enforcement on May 9 of that year. He returned on March 12, 2020, near Eagle Pass, Texas, and was again removed on April 3, 2020. After another illegal reentry without obtaining permission to return to the U.S., he pleaded guilty on August 16, 2024, to first degree attempted arson in Baltimore.
Evidence presented at sentencing included video footage showing Aguilar-Lopez pouring gasoline on a victim’s home and records indicating he threatened to set it on fire if she did not leave Baltimore.
"This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime," according to the press release.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended ICE-ERO for its investigative work and acknowledged Assistant U.S. Attorney Reema Sood for prosecuting the case.
Additional information about priorities and community resources offered by the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office can be found at justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
