Repeat Human Smuggler Pleads Guilty to Immigration Offense

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Mexican national, Aureliano Vazquez-Ontiberos, 43, pleaded guilty on August 12, 2026, to being unlawfully present in the United States following a prior removal. 

In court before U.S. District Judge Colleen R. Lawless, Vazquez-Ontiberos admitted that he had unlawfully returned to the United States following a prior removal and that law enforcement encountered him during a traffic stop in Sangamon County in May 2026.  Vazquez-Ontiberos admitted that he had twice been convicted of human smuggling offenses in federal courts, once in 2011 in the Southern District of Texas and once in 2016 in the Western District of Texas. During the hearing, the government presented evidence that Vazquez-Ontiberos’ criminal history contained an aggravated felony, human smuggling, which garners enhanced criminal penalties. 

Vazquez-Ontiberos remains in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending a sentencing hearing that is scheduled for December 8, 2026, at the federal courthouse in Springfield, Illinois.

Vazquez-Ontiberos faces statutory penalties of up to 20 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.

The case investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security, Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Lynch is representing the government in the prosecution.