El Salvadorian National Previously Deported or Removed Three Times and a Guatemalan National Indicted for Unlawful Reentry into the United States

CONCORD – An El Salvadorian national, previously deported or removed three times, and a Guatemalan national were indicted on unrelated charges of unlawful reentry into the United States, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.

Juan Ruiz, 30, an El Salvadorian national unlawfully residing in Manchester, was previously deported or removed to El Salvador three times on June 10, 2016, May 18, 2017, and October 14, 2021. He was located in New Hampshire on April 22, 2025.

Jorge Abelino Roque-Mejia, 36, a Guatemalan national unlawfully residing in the United States, was previously deported to Guatemala on May 22, 2009.  He was located in New Hampshire on April 20, 2025.

Both Roque-Mejia and Ruiz are currently in ICE custody.  They will appear in federal court at a later date.

The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than two years in prison, up to one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement led the investigations.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen is prosecuting the cases.

This effort 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. 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 details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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