Salvadoran national pleads guilty to illegally reentering the United States

RICHMOND, Va. - An illegal alien from El Salvador pled guilty today to illegally reentering the United States after multiple previous removals.

According to court documents, on Oct. 6, 2015, Salvadoran national Luis Antonio Tejada-Santamaria was arrested for illegally entering the United States. Following his conviction, Tejada-Santamaria was deported on Jan. 13, 2016. On April 1, 2016, Tejada-Santamaria was arrested for illegally reentry, and on May 18, 2016, was again removed from the United States.

On Nov. 2, 2024, Tejada-Santamaria was arrested in Chesterfield County for assault on law enforcement and obstruction, and he was convicted of the latter in the Chesterfield County court.

Tejada-Santamaria is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 24. He faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison and remains subject to the previous order of removal. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Theophani K. Stamos, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Eric Weindorf, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C., made the announcement after Chief U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck accepted the plea.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Joseph McGorman and Angela Mastandrea are 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, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District CourtLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACERLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-42.