Alien sentenced to 2 years in federal prison for illegal entry

NEW ORLEANS – Santos Elenilson Gonzalez-Rivas, 24, a citizen of El Salvador, was sentenced Wednesday in federal court by U. S. District Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt to 24 months imprisonment, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO).

Judge Engelhardt ordered that Gonzalez be placed on one year of supervised release following his prison term. He also ordered that Gonzalez pay a $2,500 fine to the United States.

According to court documents, on Sept. 20, 2011, Gonzalez pleaded guilty to one count of an indictment admitting he was an alien who had been previously removed and was knowingly and unlawfully found in in Jefferson Parish, La., without the express consent of the Attorney General or Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

"This prison sentence helps send the message that reentering the United States after being formally deported is a serious crime," said Philip Miller, field office director of ICE ERO in New Orleans. "ICE's close coordination with the U.S. Attorney's Office helps put teeth into the immigration laws." Miller oversees ICE ERO in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee.

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U. S. Attorney Robert Weir.

For more information, visit www.ice.gov.