Man sentenced to prison for illegally reentering US after deportation

ANNISTON, Ala. (WBRC) - A 28-year-old man, originally from Guatemala, was sentenced to more than two years in prison after pleading guilty to illegally reentering the United States following a prior deportation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama said.

Eladio Pascual-Gaspar was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to illegally reentering the U.S. after being deported, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“This defendant was released from a state prison and deported in 2023. He illegally reentered the United States and engaged in further criminal activity. This conduct will not be tolerated,” U.S. Attorney Phillip W. Williams Jr. said. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who enter our country illegally and engage in criminal conduct.”

Court documents referred to by the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Pascual-Gaspar entered the U.S. illegally as an unaccompanied minor in May 2015. He was released on an Order of Release on Recognizance to a sponsor in the U.S. in June 2015.

In April 2021, Pascual-Gaspar pleaded guilty in the Circuit Court of Madison County, Mississippi, to aiding and abetting armed robbery, according to court documents. He was removed from the U.S. in May 2023.

In June 2026, the Talladega Police Department found a 15-year-old alone in a car registered to a man named Henry Vegas Mondragon, according to court documents. The teen was described as being in the U.S. illegally, and the vehicle was towed.

Court documents said Pascual-Gaspar went to the tow lot to claim the car and presented fake Guatemalan identification and documents under the name “Henry Vegas Mondragon.” Court documents said this name was an alias.

“HSI remains committed to protecting our communities by enforcing federal immigration laws and facilitating the prosecution of individuals who unlawfully reenter the United States after removal,” said Ellen Johnson, acting special agent in charge of HSI in Georgia and Alabama. “This sentence sends a clear message: those who disregard our immigration laws, use false identities, and engage in criminal activity will be held accountable.”

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