07/08/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/08/2026 09:10
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that BELIN ANTONIO GONZALEZ-GARCIA, also known as Belin Garcia and Belin Gonzalez, 39, a citizen of Honduras, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with illegal reentry of a removed alien.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in October 2009, Gonzalez-Garcia, under the name Belin Gonzalez, was convicted in Connecticut state court of assault in the first degree and sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment, suspended after seven years, and three years of probation. In April 2015, Gonzalez-Garcia was removed from the U.S. to Honduras. In September 2016, U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) encountered and arrested Gonzalez-Garcia in Brownsville, Texas. He was subsequently convicted in the Southern District of Texas of illegal reentry of a removed alien and sentenced to 30 months of imprisonment. In December 2018, Gonzalez-Garcia was again removed to Honduras.
The complaint further alleges that, in August 2020, USBP encountered and arrested Gonzalez-Garcia in La Joya, Texas. In January 2021, he was convicted in the Southern District of Texas of illegal reentry of a removed alien and sentenced to 37 months of imprisonment. In June 2023, he was again removed to Honduras. In December 2023, USBP encountered and arrested Gonzalez-Garcia in Eagle Pass, Texas. In January 2024, he was again removed to Honduras.
The complaint further alleges that, on June 7, 2026, Connecticut State Police arrested Gonzalez-Garcia, who identified himself as "Belin Garcia," in Andover, Connecticut, following a car accident. Gonzalez-Garcia was charged in Connecticut Superior Court in Rockville with illegal operation of motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol/drugs, evading responsibility - injury/property damage, failure to drive in proper lane, and operating a motor vehicle without a license. He was released on a $2,500 bond.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took Gonzalez-Garcia into custody on June 23, 2026.
Gonzalez-Garcia appeared yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish in Hartford and was ordered detained.
If convicted of the charge of unlawful reentry, Gonzalez-Garcia faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Neeraj N. Patel and Michael S. Deel.
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.