Previously Deported Felon Busted Attempting to Fly from Puerto Rico to Philadelphia

U.S. customs officials stopped a previously deported criminal alien from attempting to fly from Puerto Rico to Pennsylvania.

Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, observed a man attempting to board a flight to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 16. Upon inspection, the officers learned the man, Jose Alberto Peña-Solano, a 39-year-old citizen of the Dominican Republic, had entered the U.S. territory illegally, according to information obtained from CBP officials by Breitbart Texas.

Agents carried out a background investigation and learned that Peña-Solano has an extensive criminal and immigration history. His record included two deportations and a criminal history in Delaware.

In 2008 and 2011, Peña-Solano served time in prison following convictions for charges related to drug possession and trafficking. Following his prison sentences, immigration officials deported him to the Dominican Republic in 2015, officials stated.

“Our officers are always vigilant to arrest and identify criminals who attempt to enter the country and elude detection using fraudulent documents,” San Juan Area Port Director Edwin Cruz said in a written statement.

The CBP officers arrested Peña-Solano as he attempted to board a flight from the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport that was heading to Philadelphia, officials said. To support his claim of being a U.S. citizen, he provided CBP officers with a Puerto Rico drivers license, a birth certificate from Puerto Rico, and a U.S. Social Security Card.

The Dominican national now faces new federal felony charges for re-entering after a previous removal or deportation subsequent to a conviction for commission of an aggravated felony.

Officials did not indicate if Peña-Solano will face additional charges for presenting false identification to a federal law enforcement officer or for the possession of possibly forged or stolen federal and U.S. territory documents.