Hector Ovidio Diaz Garrido, Illegal Reentry, Connecticut 2024

Hector Ovidio Diaz Garrido, 41, a citizen of Guatemala and former Norwalk resident, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison today for illegally reentering the United States after being deported twice. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport, marks the latest chapter in a long trail of criminal evasion and immigration violations stretching back over a decade.

Diaz Garrido, who has never held legal status in the U.S., was first deported in June 2011 following a March 2010 felony conviction in Connecticut Superior Court for assault on a police officer in Norwalk. That conviction alone should have barred him from returning legally, but within months of his removal, he was back on American soil. In April 2012, U.S. Border Patrol encountered Diaz Garrido in Weslaco, Texas. Authorities reinstated his prior removal order and deported him a second time—back to Guatemala.

He didn’t stay gone long. On November 6, 2014, Diaz Garrido surfaced again in Norwalk under the alias “Jimy Diaz,” arrested by local police for operating under the influence of alcohol. Less than four months later, on March 20, 2015, he was caught again—same fake name, same jurisdiction—charged with operating a motor vehicle while under suspension. Each time, he slipped through the cracks using stolen identity.

It wasn’t until November 2018 that his true identity was confirmed through fingerprint analysis. By then, Diaz Garrido had already been convicted on multiple counts: operating under the influence, operating while under suspension, and three separate counts of failure to appear. After serving his state sentence, federal immigration authorities moved swiftly to prosecute.

On February 22, 2019, Diaz Garrido pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of reentry of a removed alien—a felony charge that carries mandatory prison time. U.S. Attorney John H. Durham emphasized the seriousness of repeat immigration violations, stating the case reflects a pattern of disregard for U.S. law and border integrity.

The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah R. Slater prosecuting. The case underscores the federal crackdown on deported individuals who repeatedly return to commit crimes, leaving communities vulnerable and overburdening the justice system.

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