TWICE DEPORTED MEXICAN NATIONAL ARRESTED AT CYRIL E. KING AIRPORT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO RE-ENTER THE UNITED STATES

St. Thomas, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Luis Enrique De Jesus Colin Ochoa, age 25, and a Mexican National, appeared before Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller on January 19, 2022, for his initial appearance hearing following his arrest on January 18, 2022 on the charge of unlawful reentry of an alien after removal. On January 20, 2022, Ochoa again appeared before Magistrate Judge Miller for his detention hearing where Magistrate Judge Miller ordered Ochoa to secure 10 percent of a $25,000 bond and released him on home incarceration.

According to court documents, on January 18, 2022, Colin Ochoa appeared at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) primary inspection checkpoint at the Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas, VI. Ochoa was a ticketed passenger on American Airlines Flight #1075 traveling to Charlotte, N.C. During CBP’s inspection, Ochoa presented a Mexican Passport which did not contain a United States Visa. Ochoa was then referred to secondary inspection for further records checks. While in secondary inspection, a routine records check revealed that Ochoa is a citizen and national of Mexico, and that Ochoa has no pending applications to enter or remain in the United States legally. Further examination of the records revealed that Ochoa was previously apprehended in the United States on at least four (4) occasions, and on two (2) occasions, May 16, 2018, and January 4, 2019, Orders of Removal were reinstated against him leading to his deportation.

This case is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and CBP, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Delia Smith. A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.