Two Previously Deported Men Arrested in Western New York After Illegal Re-Entry

Two men were arrested in North Tonawanda and charged with illegal re-entry into the United States after deportation, federal prosecutors announced.

According to Acting U.S. Attorney Joel L. Violanti, Javier Antonio Cruz, 27, and Junior Eduardo Garcia Castro, 28, both citizens of Honduras, were taken into custody following a traffic stop on Niagara Falls Boulevard on the evening of February 18, 2025. The North Tonawanda Police Department conducted the stop for a traffic violation, during which Cruz and Castro were identified as passengers in the vehicle.

A records check revealed that Cruz had previously been convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Texas in 2020. Court records indicate that he had been ordered removed from the U.S. multiple times, with deportations occurring in 2018 and 2024.

Authorities also determined that Castro had multiple charges for driving without a license in Georgia. Immigration records show that he had been ordered removed multiple times and was deported in 2018, as well as twice in April 2022.

Following their arrests, Cruz and Castro appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and were ordered to be detained. The charges against them carry a maximum penalty of two years in prison.

The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan, and Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy.