Following a collaborative effort by federal and local law enforcement, 39-year-old Felipe Garcia-Vasquez is once again in custody, this time for allegations of illegal reentry into the United States. Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney has announced the charge against the Morriston resident, as detailed in a press release from the Department of Justice. Garcia-Vasquez, a Mexican national, was initially deported on January 21, 2013, and now potentially faces up to two years behind bars if found guilty.
Garcia-Vasquez was located within the US borders on February 26, seemingly without having made any legal attempt to quickly re-obtain permission from the Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security for reentry. The assertions grounded in the criminal complaint are preliminary at this stage, with a bedrock principle of the legal system shining through: Garcia-Vasquez holds the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise.
On the investigative front, the case saw the collaborative action of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson is leading the charge in the legal proceedings.
