A Guatemalan citizen residing in Stamford, Connecticut, has been charged with illegally reentering the United States after being deported and making false statements on immigration applications. The announcement was made by David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New England.
The individual, identified as Marcos Ismalej Ixpancoc, also known as Marcos Hernandez Lopez and Jose Ernandez, 39, was arrested and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti in Bridgeport. He was ordered detained following his initial court appearance.
According to court documents and statements presented in court, Ixpancoc was first apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol in Arizona in October 2006. At that time, he used the name Marcos Hernandez Lopez and claimed Mexican citizenship before being issued a voluntary return to Mexico. In August 2012, he was apprehended again by U.S. Border Patrol in Texas under the name Jose Ernandez and claimed Guatemalan citizenship; he was subsequently removed to Guatemala in September 2012.
In June 2023, Ixpancoc submitted applications for legal permanent residency and work authorization to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) using his true name and a Stamford address. Fingerprints collected during this process matched those from his previous encounters with border authorities under different names.
Prosecutors allege that Ixpancoc falsely denied ever using any other names or having been subject to a final order of removal on his USCIS applications. Additionally, he submitted a petition under the Violence Against Women Act claiming abuse by a U.S. citizen son who was only two years old at the time of filing.
If convicted of unlawful reentry, Ixpancoc faces up to two years in prison; if convicted of making false statements on immigration applications, he could receive up to ten years.
“U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
The investigation is being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations with support from USCIS and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel is prosecuting the case.
“This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.”
