Three people from Central America have been taken into custody following a sweep by Immigration and Customs Enforcement last month in the city of Dunkirk.

On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced that three individuals were arrested and charged in separate criminal complaints with immigration related charges:

– Hector Noel Soto-Villalta, 29, a citizen of Honduras, is charged with illegal reentry after deportation, with a prior felony conviction, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

– Isaias Fernando Diego-Lucas, 39, a citizen of Guatemala, is charged with illegal reentry after deportation, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison.

– Manuel Juan Mateo, 52, a citizen of Guatemala, is charged with possession of a counterfeit alien resident card, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sasha Mascarenhas and Andrew J. Henning, who are handling the case, stated that according to the complaints, on Feb. 24 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Buffalo Field Office conducted a targeted enforcement action in Dunkirk to locate and arrest a final order alien.

ICE ERO special agents observed a male subject exit a Dunkirk residence and get into the back of a vehicle. Agents then conducted a vehicle stop and questioned the passengers.

A records check determined that Hector Noel Soto-Villalta is a citizen and national of Honduras illegally residing in the U.S. Previously, he had been deported from the U.S. three times.

During questioning, Isaias Fernando Diego-Lucas provided a Guatemala Identification Consular card bearing the same name. A records check determined that Diego-Lucas is a citizen and national of Guatemala illegally residing in the U.S.

Manuel Juan Mateo presented a permanent resident card which he told agents was real. A subsequent check determined that the card was fraudulent.

The defendants made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and were detained.

The complaints are the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Emergency Removal Operations, under the direction of Acting Field Office Director Steven Kurzdorfer.