Anniston, Ala. – A Guatemalan national has been sentenced for illegally returning to the United States after deportation, announced U.S. Attorney Phillip W. Williams Jr.
U.S. District Judge Corey L. Maze sentenced Eladio Pascual-Gaspar, 28, to 31 months in prison. Pascual-Gaspar pleaded guilty to illegal reentry after deportation.
“This defendant was released from a state prison and deported in 2023. He illegally reentered the United States and engaged in further criminal activity. This conduct will not be tolerated.” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who enter our country illegally and engage in criminal conduct.”
“HSI remains committed to protecting our communities by enforcing federal immigration laws and facilitating the prosecution of individuals who unlawfully reenter the United States after removal,” said Ellen Johnson, Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI in Georgia and Alabama. “This sentence sends a clear message: those who disregard our immigration laws, use false identities, and engage in criminal activity will be held accountable.”
According to court documents, in May 2015, Pascual-Gaspar entered the United States illegally as an unaccompanied minor. He was released on an Order of Release on Recognizance to a sponsor in the United States in June 2015. In April 2021, Pascual-Gaspar pleaded guilty in Circuit Court of Madison County Mississippi to aiding and abetting of armed robbery. In May 2023, the defendant was removed from the United States. In June 2026, the Talladega Police Department encountered a 15-year-old, unaccompanied, illegal alien driver in a car registered to Henry Vegas Mondragon. The vehicle was towed. Pascual-Gaspar appeared at the tow lot to claim the car and presented false Guatemalan identification and documents in the alias name Henry Vegas Mondragon.
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.
Homeland Security Investigation investigated the cases along with the Talladega County Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Patrick Lamb prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Northern District of Alabama — U.S. Department of Justice press release.