A Dominican national living unlawfully in Worcester has been sentenced in federal court for illegally reentering the United States after deportation. Jose Luis Urena-Vasquez, 49, received a three-year prison sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman. After serving his sentence, he will be subject to deportation.
Urena-Vasquez pleaded guilty in December 2025 to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien following his indictment by a federal grand jury in August 2025.
His immigration history dates back to 2008 when immigration officials encountered him while he was serving an 11-month sentence for drug distribution at the Essex County House of Corrections. After completing that sentence, he was placed into removal proceedings and deported to the Dominican Republic on March 25, 2009.
Following his removal, Urena-Vasquez returned illegally to the United States. In 2018, he faced charges in Lawrence District Court for armed assault with intent to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and possession of a firearm. He fled Massachusetts but was arrested in Florida in July 2018 and brought back to face these charges.
In October 2018, Urena-Vasquez was indicted by a federal grand jury for unlawful reentry and pleaded guilty in May 2019. He was sentenced in April 2020 to eight months in prison and three years of supervised release, which were ordered consecutive to his state sentences. He also pleaded guilty to armed assault with intent to murder and related offenses in Essex Superior Court and received several years’ imprisonment.
He was removed again from the United States in February 2024 but unlawfully reentered around July 2024. Federal authorities became aware of his presence after he was arrested on alleged state fraud charges in Worcester in May 2025.
“United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting 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 prosecuted the case.”
