SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers found Wednesday a previously deported woman prior to boarding the San Juan-Santo Domingo ferry.
Magaly Hilario-Perez made an initial appearance Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marshall Morgan, for charges of violating Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326, for re-entry after previous removal or deportation.
During the boarding process at the ferry M/V Kydon, bound to the City of Santo Domingo, Ms. Hilario-Perez presented to CBP Officers a passport from the Dominican Republic, but had no document to prove an authorized stay in Puerto Rico.
A secondary inspection revealed that in 2008, CBP officers arrested Ms. Hilario- Perez at the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport attempting to board a flight using fraudulent documents. She was convicted in February 2008, and ordered removed by an immigration court; removed in March 2008.
Ms. Hilario-Perez stated that she entered the US via Puerto Rico in 2014 near Cabo Rojo.
Assistant US Attorney Evelyn Canals in charge of the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Puerto Rico.
If convicted, Ms. Hilario-Perez faces imprisonment for not more than 10 years, or a fine, or both.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.
CBP’s mission is to facilitate travel while maintaining the highest standards of security for those who live here and for those who come to visit. On a typical day last year, CBP officers processed more than 1 million travelers arriving airports, seaports or border crossings.