A Honduran national who had been deported three times previously was sentenced to three and a half years in federal prison this week. Noe Alexander Flores Vasquez, 35, received the sentence after pleading guilty to illegal reentry by a deported alien, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.
Authorities say Flores Vasquez came back on federal radar following his arrest in Alachua County on November 26, 2024, for battery offenses. Court records indicate this wasn’t his first run-in with law enforcement; prior to one of his three previous removals from the United States, he was convicted of a felony for battery on a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or medical provider.
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U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin announced the sentence, framing the prosecution as a key victory for “Operation Take Back America,” a Department of Justice initiative aligned with the policies of President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“This violent illegal alien has repeatedly violated our federal laws and threatened public safety while unlawfully present in our country,” Heekin said in a prepared statement.
Nicholas G. Ingegno, an Assistant Special Agent in Charge with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), noted that the defendant’s history posed a specific danger to the community.
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“The defendant’s unlawful entry into the United States – after a prior deportation and conviction of battery against an officer, firefighter, or medical provider – posed a clear threat to public safety,” Ingegno said.
The case was investigated by HSI with support from the Gainesville Police Department and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.
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