A Dominican national residing in Worcester has been indicted for reentering the United States after deportation. Jose Luis Urena-Vasquez, 48, faces one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien.
Court documents state that Urena-Vasquez was first encountered by immigration officials in 2008 while serving an 11-month sentence for drug distribution at the Essex County House of Corrections. After completing his sentence, he was placed into removal proceedings and deported to the Dominican Republic on March 25, 2009.
After his initial removal, authorities allege that Urena-Vasquez illegally returned to the United States. In 2018, he was charged in Lawrence District Court with armed assault to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and possession of a firearm. He left Massachusetts but was arrested later that year in Florida and brought back to face trial. A federal grand jury indicted him for unlawful reentry in October 2018; he pleaded guilty in May 2019 and received an eight-month prison sentence in April 2020, which ran consecutively with pending charges in Essex Superior Court. He also received three years of supervised release.
According to the indictment filed this week, Urena-Vasquez was again removed from the United States in February 2024. Authorities allege that he unlawfully reentered sometime after this most recent removal.
If convicted of unlawful reentry following a conviction for an aggravated felony, Urena-Vasquez could face up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine as high as $250,000. Upon completion of any imposed sentence, he would be subject to deportation again. Sentencing will follow federal guidelines and relevant statutes.
“United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.”
“The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
