Two individuals have been charged with illegal re-entry after deportation, according to an announcement by Acting U.S. Attorney Joel Louis Violanti. Manuel Alejandro Estrada-Gonzalez, 31, from Mexico, and Juan Carlos Castro-Cidcas, 44, from El Salvador, face charges that could result in a maximum penalty of two years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron J. Mango and Charles M. Kruly are handling the cases. The complaint against Estrada-Gonzalez reveals that he was identified on February 20, 2025, as a suspected illegal alien at the Buffalo Airport Inn in Cheektowaga, NY. After surveillance by U.S. Border Patrol Agents, Estrada-Gonzales was arrested at the scene. Records show he had been ordered removed twice by immigration officers in January and February 2019.
In the case of Castro-Cidcas, U.S. Border Patrol Agents were conducting surveillance on February 11, 2025, in Cheektowaga when they discovered a vehicle linked to an illegal alien from El Salvador parked at the Hilton Garden Inn. On February 12, agents returned for further surveillance and saw Castro-Cidcas entering the vehicle. He initially refused to exit when approached but complied after Cheektowaga Police were summoned and subsequently taken into custody. Records indicate he was previously removed from the United States in August 2010 and November 2019.
Both Estrada-Gonzalez and Castro-Cidcas appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and were detained.
The investigation involved contributions from U.S. Border Patrol under Patrol Agent-in-Charge Martin B. Coombs and the Cheektowaga Police Department led by Chief Brian Coons.
It is important to note that charges are accusations only; both defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.