13 Repeat Deportees Nabbed in PA Illegal Re-Entry Crackdown

HARRISBURG — A federal crackdown has netted 13 foreign nationals previously deported from the U.S., now charged with illegally sneaking back into Pennsylvania and vanishing into the shadows of the underground economy. Indicted separately on February 14, 2018, by a federal grand jury, each faces federal charges for illegal re-entry by a previously deported alien — a felony that carries serious prison time.

Juan Carlos Leon-Avalos, 29, of Mexico, was deported in October 2011 and allegedly re-entered the U.S. afterward, later found in Dauphin County after evading immigration inspection. Mateo Salinas-Oliva, 32, of Honduras, deported in July 2011, is accused of the same crime and was also apprehended in Dauphin County. Roberto Pinto-Moreira, 26, of Honduras, stands out with four prior deportations — March 2010, September 2010, March 2011, and November 2011 — and allegedly re-entered after the last one, later caught in Cumberland County.

Milton Andrade-Granados, 42, of El Salvador, deported in June 2015, is charged with re-entering illegally and was found in Cumberland County. Nolberto Perez-Perez, 26, of Guatemala, deported in August 2014, allegedly slipped back in and was later located in Dauphin County. Jose Gonzalez-Martinez, 37, of Mexico, deported in May 2013, faces charges after being found in Cumberland County following an illegal return.

Hector Hernandez-Contreras, 27, of Mexico, deported in October 2011, is accused of re-entering and evading inspection, later found in Dauphin County. Edgar Cruz-Garcia, 30, of Mexico, deported in June 2015, allegedly re-entered and was apprehended in York County. Ricardo De Jesus-Portillo, 37, of Honduras, deported in July 2011, is charged with illegal re-entry and was found in Luzerne County.

Pastor Fonseca-Lara, 53, of Mexico, was deported three times — February 2013, April 2013, and January 2014 — and allegedly returned after the last removal, eventually caught in Dauphin County. Each defendant is charged under federal law for re-entering the U.S. after formal deportation, circumventing border controls and immigration inspections.

U.S. Attorney David J. Freed emphasized that these cases are not administrative immigration violations but federal criminal offenses. “These individuals were ordered removed from the United States and chose to defy that order,” Freed stated. “Their repeated return poses risks to public safety and undermines the rule of law. We will continue to prosecute illegal re-entry cases aggressively.”

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