A Guatemalan national living in Illinois has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported.
Santos Vasquez-Ortiz, 41, was found to be in the country without legal status when he was arrested in McHenry County, Illinois, in 2021 on charges of aggravated criminal sexual assault. He was later convicted of that offense in state court. Authorities reported that Vasquez-Ortiz had previously been deported from the U.S. in 2008 and did not have permission from the government to return.
Earlier this year, Vasquez-Ortiz pleaded guilty in federal court in Rockford to one count of unlawful re-entry after removal. U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston handed down a two-year sentence on November 17, 2025.
The sentencing was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Matthew J. Scarpino, Special Agent-in-Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Ladd represented the government during the proceedings.
