OPERATION TAKE BACK AMERICA: Previously Removed Illegal Alien Sentenced to Prison for Immigration and Firearm Offenses

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - An illegal alien has been sentenced for immigration and firearm offenses, announced U.S. Attorney Phillip W. Williams Jr.

U.S. District Court Judge Anna M. Manasco sentenced Federico Sanchez Alvarado (Sanchez), 29, a citizen of Mexico, to 21 months in prison. Sanchez pleaded guilty to illegal reentry after deportation/removal and illegal alien in possession of a firearm.

According to the plea agreement, Sanchez was ordered removed from the United States on February 10, 2016, and deported on August 16, 2016. Sanchez came to law enforcement's attention again when officers with the Pelham Police Department responded to a 911 call on October 17, 2025, for "shots fired." Upon arrival, the officers heard a series of gun shots in a residential area behind Deer Springs Road. Sanchez admitted to shooting a pistol in the backyard and agreed to show officers where his gun was located inside the residence. Officers recovered from inside the residence a Springfield Armory XD-9 sub-compact handgun, which had been reported stolen two weeks earlier in Birmingham, Alabama. After having been found illegally in the United States a second time, Sanchez was arrested.

"This sentence sends a clear message that those who disregard our immigration and firearms laws will be held accountable," said U.S. Attorney Williams. "We appreciate the work of our law enforcement partners on this case. Through our strong partnerships, we will continue working together to keep our communities safe. This case is another indication of how our nation's immigration laws have been flaunted and abused. This individual is on his second deportation, but the Department of Justice will diligently continue to enforce the laws that secure our borders."

"Illegal aliens who disregard our laws, in this case by reentering the country after being removed and illegally possessing a firearm, pose a serious risk to the community," said Ellen Johnson, Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI in Georgia and Alabama. "HSI will continue working alongside our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to identify and investigate individuals who threaten public safety and hold them accountable for their actions."

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.

Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case along with Pelham Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Woodard prosecuted the case.