Federal grand juries charged twelve individuals from Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico with illegal reentry into the United States, according to a March 30 announcement by authorities in Cleveland and Toledo, Ohio. The indictments allege that these individuals violated immigration laws after being previously removed from the country.
The cases highlight ongoing efforts to enforce federal immigration statutes and address repeat unauthorized entries. Authorities said each defendant was found within the Northern District of Ohio without consent from either the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary for Homeland Security for readmission.
Among those charged are Alonso Diaz-Espinosa, who was previously removed at least twice and most recently on Feb. 13; Fredy Garcia Rosa, last removed on Aug. 14, 2023; Santos Antonio De Jesus Gomez, last removed on Oct. 26, 2024; Mario Gregorio-Arias, who has been removed four times with the latest on April 17, 2018; and several others found across various counties including Sandusky, Lorain, Huron, Lucas, Erie and Summit.
The investigations were conducted by U.S. Border Patrol-Sandusky Bay Station along with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Ava Rotell Dustin, Matthew D. Simko, Frank H. Spryszak, Jennifer King and Brett S. Hammond for the Northern District of Ohio.
Officials remind that an indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
These cases fall under Operation Take Back America—a national initiative aimed at mobilizing Department of Justice resources to counter illegal immigration activities as well as dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
