Illegal Immigrant Sentenced for Re-Entry into the United States after Previous Child Endangerment Conviction

SHREVEPORT - On July 8, 2026, District Judge Terry A. Doughty sentenced Johnny Salazar-Ruano, 41, of Honduras, to one year in federal prison after his March 19, 2026, Guilty Plea for Illegal Reentry of a Removed Alien. Salazar-Ruano had been residing in Bossier City.

Salazar-Ruano was previously removed from the United States on July 3, 2014, on August 17, 2015, and a third time on February 1, 2021, after being convicted in Caddo Parish of felony Domestic Abuse Child Endangerment. In that case, Salazar-Ruano pled guilty to assaulting a woman in the presence of her 12-year-old child.

On January 10, 2026, Salazar-Ruano was again in the United States. Bossier City Police Department (BCPD) officers conducted a traffic stop on a van after observing the driver fail to signal before turning. Officers had prior information from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) that the registered owner of the vehicle had an active federal warrant for Illegal Reentry of a Removed Alien. The driver, later identified as Salazar-Ruano, was ordered to exit the vehicle but refused to comply. When officers opened the driver's door, Salazar-Ruano attempted to crawl toward the passenger side of the vehicle to avoid being detained. After a brief struggle, officers removed Salazar-Ruano from the van, secured him in handcuffs, and verified the active warrant for his removal from the United States. In this incident, Salazar-Ruano was also charged with resisting an officer.

U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller for the Western District of Louisiana made the announcement.

The BCPD, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and HSI investigated this case. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison Foster with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Emily Favrot.

This case was prosecuted as part of Operation Take Back America (TBA), 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana at www.justice.gov/usao-wdla.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Western District of Louisiana at www.lawd.uscourts.gov or at https://www.lawd.uscourts.gov/cmecf-pacer, under Case Number 5:26-cr-00037-01.

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Public Affairs
United States Attorney's Office
Western District of Louisiana
[email protected]
www.justice.gov/usao-wdla
Twitter @USAO_WDLA