SALVADORAN WITH PRIOR VIOLENT FELONY HISTORY SENTENCED FOR ILLEGAL REENTRY

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Jairo Hernandez, 35, of the country of El Salvador, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison for Illegal Reentry by a Removed Alien. The plea and sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This criminal alien repeatedly flouted the United States’ immigration laws, and committed acts of violence against law enforcement while unlawfully present in our country.  My office stands ready to work hand-in-hand with our law enforcement partners to detain, prosecute, and remove violent criminal aliens like this one to keep our communities safe.”

According to court records, Hernandez was previously prosecuted in 2018 for Illegal Reentry by a Removed Alien. He was then deported and reentered the United States sometime in 2020. On November 10, 2022, he was convicted and sentenced for resisting a law enforcement officer with violence for having previously resisted officers who were responding to a domestic incident, breaking one officer’s ankle.

“HSI is committed to upholding the rule of law, including the laws that provide the cornerstone of our immigration system,” said Homeland Security Investigations Tallahassee Assistant Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Ingegno. “When criminal illegal aliens repeatedly violate our immigration laws, they demonstrate a willful disregard for our legal processes. Enforcement, alongside our state, local and federal partners, is essential to maintaining the integrity of our borders and the safety of our communities.”

An ICE detainer has been lodged against Hernandez, meaning he will begin deportation proceedings after he serves his sentence. The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Eric Welch prosecuted this case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.