Honduran Citizen Sentenced for Illegal Reentry after DWI Conviction

RICHMOND, Va. – A Honduran man pleaded guilty and was sentenced today for illegal reentry into the United States.

“Ruiz-Lopez has repeatedly disregarded our nation’s laws by illegally entering the United States on at least four separate occasions,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Ruiz-Lopez’s habitual criminal behavior, such as felony-level drunk driving and failure to attend court hearings, also is indicative of his lack of respect for the laws of this country.”

According to court documents, Alexis Giovanni Ruiz-Lopez, 35, has illegally entered the United States at least four times since 2004. In August 2004, Ruiz-Lopez was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol near Laredo, Texas, after illegally entering the United States without inspection or permission of a designated official. Although Ruiz-Lopez was convicted of illegal entry and sentenced to three years’ probation, he was released on his own recognizance and failed to appear at a subsequent immigration hearing. Ruiz-Lopez was not apprehended for another ten years, until he was arrested in Mississippi and removed to Honduras in January 2014.

After his first removal in 2014, Ruiz-Lopez illegally reentered the United States. In January 2015, Ruiz-Lopez was arrested in Houston, Texas, and on April 6, 2015, Ruiz-Lopez was removed for a second time to Honduras. Ruiz-Lopez then illegally returned to the United States, and in December 2015, he was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol in Texas. After being convicted for illegal reentry and sentenced to 30 days’ confinement, Ruiz-Lopez was removed to Honduras for a third time.

Following his third removal to Honduras, Ruiz-Lopez illegally reentered the United States once more. In April 2017, Ruiz-Lopez was arrested in Richmond for public intoxication, and in October 2019, he was arrested in Chesterfield County for driving while intoxicated. On November 14, 2019, Ruiz-Lopez was convicted in Chesterfield General District Court for DWI and related charges.

After serving his sentence in Chesterfield, Ruiz-Lopez was transferred to federal custody. He pleaded guilty in federal court to illegal reentry.  U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson then sentenced him to over five months incarceration. The defendant had already as of today been in custody that length of time and so was transferred to ICE custody for prompt deportation. 

“ICE is committed to upholding our immigration laws and protecting public safety,” said Matthew Munroe, Acting Field Office Director for the ICE ERO Washington, D.C. Field Office. “Ruiz-Lopez was removed from the U.S. three times. He was afforded due process in immigration and criminal court but chose to repeatedly return, flouting U.S. law.”

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Matthew Munroe, Acting Field Office Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, D.C. Field Office, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorneys S. David Schiller and Thomas Garnett prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:17-cr-66.