The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced on Mar. 26 several prosecutions connected to Operation Take Back America, including charges against an El Salvadorian man accused of assaulting federal officers during a traffic stop.
These cases are part of a broader initiative by the Department of Justice that focuses on addressing illegal immigration and related criminal activity.
According to the announcement, Santos Alvarenga-Rodriguez, 47, was charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers in Howard County after refusing verbal commands and engaging in a physical altercation that resulted in injuries to law enforcement. In another case, Vanessa Yalixa Munoz-Baque, 31, an Ecuadorian national previously removed from the United States in August 2023, pled guilty to re-entering the country illegally and was later apprehended in Frederick on attempted murder and assault charges.
Other prosecutions include Edgar David Vasquez-Garcia, a Guatemalan national sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for illegal re-entry after deportation; Cesear Geovany Gomez from Guatemala who was convicted for first-degree assault following multiple deportations; Jairo Mendez-Miranda who had been previously deported twice before being arrested again in Montgomery County; and Fortunado Cuatlatl-Flores from Mexico indicted for re-entering after removal due to an aggravated felony conviction.
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes said ICE-ERO and HSI were commended for their work on these investigations. "Ms. Hayes also thanked the Assistant U.S. Attorneys and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney who prosecuted these federal cases," according to the release.
More information about these efforts is available at justice.gov/usao-md.
