Arrest of El Salvadorian Illegal Alien Who Assaulted Federal Officers Rounds Up Maryland Operation Take Back America Prosecutions

Baltimore, Maryland - A criminal complaint against an El Salvadorian illegal alien, who attacked federal law enforcement during a traffic stop, is one of several prosecutions the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland recently announced in connection with the Department of Justice's Operation Take Back America.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the prosecutions with Acting Field Office Director Vernon Liggins, U.S. Immigration.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland filed a criminal complaint against Santos Alvarenga-Rodriguez, 47, for assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers in Howard County, Maryland. According to court documents, law enforcement gave Alvarenga-Rodriguez verbal commands to exit his vehicle, but he refused, leading to a physical altercation that caused injuries to officers.

Additionally, a violent Ecuadorian alien pled guilty in federal court to illegally re-entering the United States after her prior removal. Vanessa Yalixa Munoz-Baque, 31, pled guilty to the re-entry charges after she was previously removed from the U.S. in August 2023. Munoz-Baque illegally re-entered the U.S., again, on November 3, 2023, and began residing in Frederick, Maryland. Then on September 11, 2024, local law enforcement apprehended Munoz-Baque in Frederick on attempted murder and assault charges.

In addition, Edgar David Vasquez-Garcia, 34, a Guatemalan illegal alien, received an 18-month, federal-prison sentence for illegally re-entering the United States. Vasquez-Garcia, 34, pled guilty to the charge after he was previously deported from the U.S. in July 2014. Then in October 2023, law enforcement discovered Vasquez-Garcia back in the U.S. after they arrested him in Edgewood, Maryland, on second-degree assault charges, for which he was later found guilty.

U.S. District Court Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Cesear Geovany Gomez, 36, in connection with illegally re-entry charges. According to court documents, on July 28, 2017, authorities deported Geovany Gomez back to Guatemala, but he never sought, nor obtained, the consent of the Attorney General of the United States or the Secretary of Homeland Security to apply for re-admission. Geovany Gomez was deported from the U.S. on two prior occasions, and following his latest illegal re-entry, he was convicted for first-degree assault in Prince George's County, Maryland.

Also, U.S. District Court Judge Ajmel A. Quereshi sentenced Jairo Mendez-Miranda, 29, for illegally entering the United States. Earlier this month, law enforcement arrested Mendez-Miranda in Montgomery County, Maryland, after officers checked the license plate of the vehicle he was driving. The officers then discovered a restriction code indicating he may not be legally present in the United States. Authorities previously deported Mendez-Miranda on two other occasions.

Additionally, a federal grand jury indicted a Mexican illegal alien in connection with re-entry charges. Fortunado Cuatlatl-Flores, 44, is charged with illegally re-entering the United States after he was previously removed from the country following an aggravated felony. According to court documents, on February 20, 2026, law enforcement encountered Cuatlatl-Flores in Wicomico County, Maryland, while performing an area-enforcement operation. Cuatlatl-Flores was previously convicted of felony child sexual abuse.

These cases are 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.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended ICE-ERO and HSI for its work in these investigations. Ms. Hayes also thanked the Assistant U.S. Attorneys and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney who prosecuted these federal cases.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md.

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