Two Men Arrested in Cheektowaga on Illegal Re-Entry Charges

Two men were arrested in Cheektowaga and charged with illegal re-entry into the United States after previous deportations, federal authorities announced.

According to Acting U.S. Attorney Joel Louis Violanti, Manuel Alejandro Estrada-Gonzalez, 31, of Mexico, and Juan Carlos Castro-Cidcas, 44, of El Salvador, were taken into custody in separate incidents and charged with re-entering the country after deportation. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of two years in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron J. Mango and Charles M. Kruly, who are prosecuting the cases, outlined the allegations in recently filed complaints.

On February 20, U.S. Border Patrol agents identified Estrada-Gonzalez as a suspected undocumented immigrant staying at the Buffalo Airport Inn in Cheektowaga. Authorities conducted surveillance in the area and later arrested him. A records check revealed that Estrada-Gonzalez had been ordered removed twice in 2019, in January and February.

In a separate case, authorities say Castro-Cidcas was identified during surveillance on February 11 when a records check linked a parked vehicle at the Hilton Garden Inn in Cheektowaga to an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador. The next day, agents returned to the area and saw Castro-Cidcas entering the vehicle. When approached, he allegedly refused to exit the car until Cheektowaga Police officers arrived. After being taken into custody, authorities determined he had been deported twice, once in August 2010 and again in November 2019.

Both men made initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and remain in custody.

The arrests were part of a joint investigation by U.S. Border Patrol, led by Patrol Agent-in-Charge Martin B. Coombs, and the Cheektowaga Police Department, headed by Chief Brian Coons.

Authorities emphasize that the charges are accusations and that both defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.