Video above: ‘News 5 Now’ — Top Stories from April 20, 2026
NORTHWEST FLORIDA (WKRG) — Nine people who were in the country illegally were convicted of immigration crimes in Northwest Florida during March.
UPDATE: Mobile County sheriff shares new details about Wilmer triple homicide (content warning)
According to a Department of Justice news release, the following people were convicted of being in the country illegally after previously being removed:
- Guatemalan national Benancio Cuyuch-Pelico, 34, was located in Escambia County on Jan. 27, 2026. He was previously deported in October 2013.
- Guatemalan national Santos Gonon, 25, was located in Escambia County on Jan. 21, 2026. He was previously deported in May 2019.
- Guatemalan national Pablo Cuyuch-Garcia, 35, was located in Escambia County on Jan. 26, 2026. He was previously deported in May 2011.
- Guatemalan national Gordolias Perez-Ramirez, 32, was located in Okaloosa County on Feb. 1, 2026. He was previously deported in February 2018.
- Honduran national Antonio Isidro-Lopez, 44, was located in Escambia County on Feb. 5, 2026. He was previously deported in January 2025.
- Mexican national Nicholas Mencho-Lucas, 43, was located in Okaloosa County on Sept. 21, 2025. He was previously deported in June 2011.
- Honduran national Kenji Bonilla-Cubas, 30, was located in Escambia County on Feb. 5, 2025. He was previously deported in February 2020.
- Mexican national Juan Hernandez-Cruz, 33, was located in Okaloosa County on Feb. 15, 2026. He was previously deported in April 2015.
- Salvadoran national Pedro Humberto Vasquez-Guerra was located in Okaloosa County on Dec. 9, 2025. He was previously deported in October 2017.
“Our federal immigration laws are not mere suggestions, and presence in the United States is reserved only for those who enter our country the right way in compliance with those laws,” said United States Attorney John P. Heekin. “The U.S. citizens in the Northern District of Florida have a right to expect their government to secure our international borders and rigidly enforce our laws that are designed to keep our country safe, and that is exactly what my office will continue to do by aggressively prosecuting anyone who violates our immigration laws.”…