Stamford Resident Sentenced For Illegally Reentering United States: Feds

STAMFORD, CT — A Guatemalan citizen who recently lived in Stamford was sentenced Wednesday to 30 days in prison for illegally reentering the United States after being deported, according to an announcement from David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

Marcos Ismalej Ixpancoc, also known as Marcos Hernandez Lopez and Jose Ernandez, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in October 2006, Ixpancoc was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol in Arizona, Sullivan said in an announcement.

He identified himself to U.S. Border Patrol as Marcos Hernandez Lopez, claimed to be a citizen of Mexico, and was issued a voluntary return to Mexico, Sullivan said.

In August 2012, Ixpancoc was again apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol in Texas, and he identified himself as Jose Ernandez and claimed to be a citizen of Guatemala, according to Sullivan. He was removed to Guatemala in September 2012.

In June 2023, Ixpancoc submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) an application for legal permanent residency and work authorization under his true name and listed a home address in Stamford, Sullivan said.

Fingerprints collected by USCIS in connection with those applications matched the prints collected when he was apprehended and removed under the names Marcos Hernandez Lopez and Jose Ernandez in 2006 and 2012, Sullivan said.

The applications, which Ixpancoc signed under penalty of perjury, contained several false statements, Sullivan added.

On Nov. 1, 2025, Ixpancoc was arrested by Homeland Security Investigations and he pleaded guilty to illegal reentry on Dec. 4.

Ixpancoc, who has been detained since his arrest, will be removed to Guatemala when he completes his prison term.

The case is part of Operation Take Back America, "a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime," a news release from Sullivan's office said.