An Ecuadorian woman has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Portland, Maine, to illegally entering the United States after having previously been removed from the country.
Court records show that Tamara Iveth Shiguano-Vargas, 29, was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by Maine State Police for speeding on Interstate 95 on August 4, 2025. During the stop, as the trooper contacted U.S. Border Patrol for help identifying the driver, Shiguano-Vargas exited the car and fled. She was later found by police and told a Border Patrol agent she was from Ecuador. Authorities determined she had been removed from the United States in September 2024 and did not have legal immigration status.
Shiguano-Vargas could face up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing will take place after completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. The final sentence will be decided by a federal district court judge who will consider sentencing guidelines and other factors.
The case was investigated by both Maine State Police and U.S. Border Patrol.
According to officials, this prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative that uses resources from multiple Department of Justice programs to address illegal immigration and related criminal activity nationwide.
“Operation Take Back America: This 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN)”
