Federico Montalvo Salas, a 22-year-old Mexican national living illegally in Charleston, has entered a guilty plea to the charge of reentry of a removed alien. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued an immigration detainer for Salas, indicating he will be placed into ICE administrative custody for removal proceedings following any imposed sentence.
Court documents reveal that Salas was arrested on March 28, 2025, in South Charleston. ICE agents confirmed his status as a Mexican citizen residing unlawfully in the United States and noted his previous deportation. Salas lacked any legal identification documents permitting his stay in the country.
Salas had been deported to Mexico on June 28, 2024, after being located near Douglas, Arizona. He did not receive permission from the Secretary of U.S. Homeland Security to reapply for entry into the United States nor attempted legal reentry.
Salas is due for sentencing on October 23, 2025, facing a potential maximum penalty of two years imprisonment and up to one year of supervised release. Deportation proceedings will follow the completion of any sentence served.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston acknowledged the investigative efforts by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing with Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage prosecuting the case as part of an immigration enforcement unit within the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia under Operation Take Back America.
Operation Take Back America aims to address illegal immigration by utilizing resources from various Department of Justice initiatives including Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
Additional information regarding this case can be found on PACER by searching Case No. 2:25-cr-82.
