JACKSONVILLE — A 36-year-old El Salvadoran national who was deported twice in 2015 has been charged by federal indictment with illegal reentry into the United States after authorities found him in the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced.
Jose Adilio Anaya-Alas was first removed from the United States by immigration authorities on September 16, 2015, and again on November 19, 2015, according to the indictment. On March 25, 2026, Anaya-Alas was found to be voluntarily back in the country and was arrested. Records checks confirmed he had not applied to U.S. immigration authorities for permission to lawfully reenter after his prior removals.
If convicted, Anaya-Alas faces up to two years in federal prison and subsequent deportation and removal from the United States. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the Florida Highway Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — a pairing that reflects the increasing coordination between state law enforcement and federal immigration agencies under the current administration’s enforcement priorities.
The case falls under Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative that marshals federal resources to combat illegal immigration, eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from violent crime and human trafficking.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. Anaya-Alas is expected to appear in federal court in the Middle District of Florida for further proceedings.