Man Living In Vernon, Already Convicted And Deported, Charged With Illegally Re-Entering U.S.

VERNON, CT — David X. Sullivan, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut, said Thursday that a foreign national living in Vernon has been charged with illegally re-entering the United States after being previously deported.

On Nov. 10, Freddy Alexander Morales Tejada, 24, a citizen of El Salvador residing in Vernon, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty in New Haven federal court to illegally re-entering the U.S. after being deported.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in October 2023, Morales Tejada was convicted and sentenced in Connecticut Superior Court of carrying a pistol without a permit and failure to appear in the first degree. In February 2024, he was deported to El Salvador, according to case records.

Sullivan said Morales Tejada unlawfully re-entered the U.S. and was found in South Windsor on May 19, when he was arrested for engaging in a police pursuit, reckless driving, operating motor vehicle without license, and illegal operation of motor vehicle under suspension.

He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven on Feb. 25, 2026, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. He has been detained since his federal arrest on Oct. 23 of this year.

The case is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations.

The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that "marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime."