Federal authorities have charged or sentenced more than a dozen men in recent weeks for illegally re-entering the United States after being previously deported — part of a coordinated effort to curb repeat immigration violations in Western New York.
The charges stem from several separate cases, but all fall under the same federal statute prohibiting unauthorized re-entry by individuals previously removed from the country. Maximum penalties include up to two years in prison — and up to ten years in some cases — along with $250,000 fines.
Traffic stops, foot chases lead to arrests
Among those charged:
- Salvador Vargas Nava, 43, of Mexico, was pulled over in Concord, NY, after running two stop signs. He had no valid immigration documents and had been removed from the U.S. in 2009.
- Juver Vidal Quex Tocora, 29, of Guatemala, was found in Amherst, NY, without legal status. He had been deported in 2013.
- Jose de Jesus Rodiguez Esparza, 32, and Mauricio Rangel Rangel, 48, both of Mexico, were stopped in West Seneca during a law enforcement operation targeting a company employing undocumented workers. Both had been deported previously and had no legal documentation.
- Evaristo Calixto Miranda Lopez, 37, of Guatemala, fled officers in Cheektowaga but was caught. He was deported twice in 2019.
- Jairo Anain Roman Murillo, 26, of Honduras, was found hiding in the woods near Hamburg after fleeing law enforcement. He had been deported in 2019.
- Mario Dario Cao-Tzul, 38, of Guatemala, was stopped in Amherst and found to have been deported three times since 2010.
- Miguel Ibarra-Saavedra, 43, of Mexico, was stopped in West Seneca and had been removed twice in 2008.
- Pedri Servin Grimaldo, 53, and Luis Alberto Servin Sanchez, 47, both of Mexico, were arrested at a construction site. Each had felony convictions and multiple removals dating back to the early 2000s.
All defendants were detained after initial appearances in federal court.
Guilty pleas and time served
In a separate case, three men from Mexico — Erasmo Perez Ruiz, 30, Luis Gerardo Perez Lopez, 29, and Ismael Ivan Perez Lopez, 27 — pleaded guilty to illegal re-entry after being caught fleeing a vehicle stop in Amherst. All were sentenced to time served and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Part of federal crackdown
These arrests and convictions are part of Operation Take Back America, a national Department of Justice initiative aimed at stopping illegal immigration, disrupting transnational criminal groups, and protecting communities from repeat offenders.
All cases were investigated by the U.S. Border Patrol’s Buffalo Station and prosecuted by Assistant and Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sasha Mascarenhas and Brendan W. Fitzgerald…