Men from El Salvador plead guilty to reentering the United States multiple times

LAKE CHARLES, La. – Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that two men from El Salvador pleaded guilty Thursday to reentering the country after being deported.

Juan Carlos Yanes-Vasquez, 38, and Nelson Antonio Orellana, 29, both of El Salvador, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen Kay to one count of illegal reentry following deportation. According to the guilty pleas, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents stopped a vehicle February 21, 2017 traveling east on Interstate 10. Agents found eight undocumented illegal aliens and one driver who had lawful status in the United States. Agents discovered Yanes-Vasquez and Orellana among the group. They also discovered the defendants illegally reentered the United States multiples times. Yanes-Vasquez’s most recent deportation took place December 22, 2016 in Laredo, Texas. The defendant admitted to reentering the country on February 17, 2017 after crossing the Rio Grande River into Texas. Orellana also was found to have been deported multiple times with the most recent deportation being March 4, 2016 from Alexandria, La. He reentered the country illegally on February 14, 2017 near Laredo, Texas.

Yanes-Vasquez faces up to two years in prison and one year of supervised release. Orellana faces up to 10 years in prison and one year of supervised release. They also face a $250,000 fine.

United States Customs and Border Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert C. Abendroth is prosecuting the cases.