A Guatemalan national residing in Stamford, Connecticut, has been charged with illegally reentering the United States after deportation and making false statements on immigration applications. The announcement was made by David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New England.
The individual, identified as Marcos Ismalej Ixpancoc—also known as Marcos Hernandez Lopez and Jose Ernandez—was arrested on November 20, 2025. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti in Bridgeport and was ordered detained.
According to court documents and statements presented in court, Ixpancoc was first apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol in Arizona in October 2006. At that time, he identified himself as Marcos Hernandez Lopez and claimed Mexican citizenship before being issued a voluntary return to Mexico. In August 2012, he was again apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol in Texas under the name Jose Ernandez and claimed Guatemalan citizenship; he was removed to Guatemala the following month.
In June 2023, Ixpancoc submitted an application for legal permanent residency and work authorization to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) using his true name with a Stamford address. Fingerprints collected during this process matched those from his previous apprehensions under different names.
It is alleged that Ixpancoc falsely denied ever using any other names or having been issued a final order of removal or removed from the United States on his USCIS applications. Additionally, he submitted a petition under the Violence Against Women Act claiming abuse by his son—who was two years old at the time—in support of his application for legal permanent residency. All applications were signed under penalty of perjury.
If convicted of unlawful reentry, Ixpancoc faces up to two years in prison; if convicted of making false statements on immigration benefit applications, he could receive up to ten years’ imprisonment.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan stated: “A complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
The investigation is being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America—a nationwide Department of Justice initiative focused on combating illegal immigration, eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators.
