Juan Carlos Rivas-Montano, Illegal Re-Entry, Maryland 2025

Greenbelt, Maryland - Juan Carlos Rivas-Montano, 45, an El Salvadorian national, has been charged with illegal re-entry, a federal crime that carries severe penalties.

A tip received by law enforcement in December 2025 led to Rivas-Montano's arrest in Hyattsville, Maryland. This is not Rivas-Montano's first time in trouble with the law; he has been deported twice before.

Rivas-Montano's troubles began when, in 1990, he entered the United States without inspection by an immigration official. He was later issued a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) card in March 1999, but it was revoked in June 2006, leading to his deportation to El Salvador.

In October 2018, Rivas-Montano was encountered by law enforcement after he illegally re-entered the U.S. near Falfurrias, Texas. He was arrested, charged, and convicted of re-entry of a removed alien, receiving a 15-month sentence in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in February 2019.

Rivas-Montano's troubles continued when, in January 2020, he was indicted in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Maryland, on several sex offenses. He pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual offense in the third degree in October 2020 and was sentenced to serve time in prison. After serving his sentence, Rivas-Montano was deported and removed from the U.S. to El Salvador in January 2021.

Rivas-Montano's latest alleged crime is a serious one, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland is taking it very seriously. The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative to combat illegal immigration and protect communities from violent crime.

Rivas-Montano is currently in custody and faces a federal indictment for illegal re-entry. The U.S. Attorney's Office commends the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE-ERO) for its work in the investigation and thanks Assistant U.S. Attorney William Moomau for prosecuting the federal case.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/el-salvadorian-national-charged-criminal-complaint-illegal-re-entry