Prosecutions Continue In Illegal Entry Cases Involving Those With Prior Criminal Records

MINNEAPOLIS – In the District of Minnesota, separate charges have been filed against two Mexican nationals who allegedly entered the United States illegally after being deported as criminals. Earlier today in federal court in St. Paul, indictments were filed against two individuals for illegal entry after deportation.

Mario Mireles-Flores, age 23, was charged in the first case. His indictment alleges that on December 5, 2012, authorities found him in the U.S. illegally after he had been previously deported. His deportation followed a 2010 McLeod County conviction for escape from custody. Authorities recently identified him as an illegal alien with a criminal record while he was serving a sentence in the Sibley County Jail for providing false information to police. That identification was made through the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (“ICE”) Criminal Alien Program (“CAP”). The goal of that program is to locate criminal aliens incarcerated in federal and state prisons, as well as in local jails, and prevent them from being released into society by having them federally prosecuted for illegally re-entering the U.S.

If convicted of the federal charge now levied against him, Mireles-Flores faces a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, followed by deportation. All sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge. This case is the result of an investigation by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (“ICE ERO”). It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lola Velazquez-Aguilu.

In the second case, Sergio Vasquez, age 36, was charged with illegally entering the U.S. following deportation. His indictment alleges that on December 4, 2012, authorities found him in the U.S. after he had been deported in 2008, following a 2003 Pennsylvania conviction for delivery of a controlled substance. On December 3, 2012, Vasquez was arrested by Minneapolis Police for DWI in connection to a personal-injury crash in south Minneapolis. He was identified as an illegal alien with a criminal record via the CAP.

If convicted of the federal charge now filed against him, Vasquez faces a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, followed by deportation. All sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge. This case is the result of an investigation by the Minneapolis Police Department and ICE ERO. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Clifford B. Wardlaw.

In some instances, federal prosecution will occur only after the individual is prosecuted for the recent underlying offense. Both men will remain in custody until their current federal cases are resolved. To learn more about the CAP, visit www.ice.gov/criminal-alien-program/

An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial.