On April 29, 2025, the United States District Court in Vermont handed down a sentence to Alex Patin-Patin, an Ecuadorian national residing in South Burlington, Vermont. The U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier sentenced Patin-Patin to time served. He has been in custody since his arrest on February 5, 2025, and had earlier pled guilty to the charge of illegally reentering the United States following a previous deportation.
Court documents reveal that Patin-Patin first entered the country unlawfully near Santa Teresa, New Mexico, in February 2022. By June of that year, a U.S. Immigration Judge had ordered his removal, and in July 2022, federal authorities carried out this directive. Despite this, Patin-Patin returned to the United States under unknown circumstances. He was arrested again in South Burlington, Vermont, in April 2024 on charges unrelated to his immigration status. As he did not obtain the necessary permission for reentry, his presence in the U.S. was deemed unlawful.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher credited the agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations for their efforts in apprehending Patin-Patin and aiding this prosecution.
The case was overseen by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Arra and Matthew Lasher. Patin-Patin was defended by Assistant Federal Public Defender Steven Barth.