Salvadoran National Pleads Guilty to Illegally Reentering U.S.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TOMAS ALONSO VALENCIA-RUIZ, 29, a citizen of El Salvador, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today in Bridgeport federal court to unlawful reentry of a removed alien.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in November 2014, U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) encountered Valencia-Ruiz in Rio Grande, Texas, after Valencia-Ruiz illegally entered the U.S. USBP released Valencia-Ruiz while his immigration case was pending. On October 12, 2016, Greenwich Police arrested Valencia-Ruiz on a charge of assault third degree. In January 2017, the U.S. Immigration Court in New York, New York, ordered Valencia-Ruiz removed to El Salvador in absentia as Valencia-Ruiz failed to appear for the hearing. On November 22, 2018, Darien Police arrested Valencia-Ruiz on a charge of illegal possession of a weapon in motor vehicle. On May 31, 2019, Valencia-Ruiz was convicted and sentenced in Stamford Superior Court for the Greenwich and Darien offenses and was transferred to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He was removed to El Salvador on June 26, 2019.

Valencia-Ruiz illegally reentered the U.S. and, on August 15, 2025, he was arrested by Stamford Police on charges of risk of injury to a child, carrying a dangerous weapon, threatening second degree, criminal mischief second degree, and disorderly conduct. He has been detained since his federal arrest on September 21, 2026.

At sentencing, which is not scheduled, Valencia-Ruiz faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

This matter has been investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Justyn P. Stokely.

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.