GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Since June, federal prosecutors in Grand Rapids have indicted six people for reentering the U.S. illegally, including a man arrested in Kent County who has been deported to Mexico on three occasions.
Javier Olivares, 41, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers during a vehicle stop in Grand Rapids, court records show. A records check indicated he had been removed from the United States to Mexico in 1999.
He eventually made it back to the U.S. and had two additional orders of removal in 2004, federal court records show.
Olivares has a plea hearing scheduled for next week in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids. Alien reentry is punishable by up to two years in prison along with removal from the country and denial of admission to the United States in the future.
Also facing federal charges is Jose Delacruz, 36, who was arrested last month by ICE agents in Grand Rapids. He’s been removed from the U.S. on three occasions, once after trying to get in at the Texas border using counterfeit documents. He’s facing up to 10 years in prison for alien felon reentry. Delacruz has a federal court hearing set for next week in Grand Rapids.
The U.S. Attorney’s office since June 6 has started aggravated felon reentry cases against defendants arrested in Allegan, Charlevoix, Ionia, Kent and St. Joseph counties.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge says his office prosecutes about 80 alien reentry cases per year.
“It really focuses on those who have been ordered removed or removed multiple times, or even if it’s only once,’’ Birge said. “If they have a prior criminal record, they’ll be a higher priority for us to make sure they are prosecuted on their way out of the country.’’
Often times, those in the country illegally remain off the radar unless they are arrested or turned in by someone, Birge said.
"Tips come in or it’s because the illegal alien has had some contact with law enforcement and gotten into additional trouble,’’ Birge explained.
In some cases, those in the country illegally are also charged with making false claims of U.S. citizenship and possession of unlawfully obtained documents, Birge said.
That is the case of a man arrested earlier this year in Oceana County after submitting falsified employment eligibility documents to an orchard in Shelby.
“Someone who is here and is not documented, they’re here illegally, they want to get documents that will appear to give them that basis for remaining here,’’ Birge said. “A lot of that is driven by the economy here.’’
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@wzzm13.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter.