An Ecuadorian national, previously deported from the United States in 2008, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Rhode Island for illegal re-entry. This was announced by Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
The individual, Manuel Yochuzga-Yopangue, also known as Manuel Yupangui and aged 34, was identified by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) through an automated biometric fingerprint match. This occurred after his fingerprints were entered into the National Crime Information Center following his arrest on state child molestation charges in May 2025.
Immigration records indicate that Yochuzga-Yopangue was removed from the United States in August 2008. He is currently held at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) on Rhode Island state charges. The date for his arraignment in federal court on the indictment has not yet been set.
Assistant United States Attorney Paul F. Daly, Jr., is prosecuting the case. The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators. The operation utilizes resources from the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
It is important to note that a federal indictment is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
