Luis Miguel Hernandez-Flores, a 37-year-old citizen of El Salvador, has been sentenced to 12 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm while being in the United States illegally. The sentencing was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin stated: “This criminal illegal alien followed up his violation of our nation’s immigration laws with additional federal and state crimes while unlawfully present in our country, and will now spend time in federal prison before being swiftly deported. President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi launched Operation Take Back America to devote the full might of the Department of Justice toward firmly enforcing our nation’s laws against criminal illegal aliens like this defendant, and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute these cases to keep our communities safe.”
According to court documents, on January 30, 2025, deputies from the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office stopped Hernandez-Flores’s vehicle around 3:00 A.M. after finding it parked in the middle of the road with him asleep inside and the engine running. He was arrested for driving without a valid driver’s license. During an inventory search of his car, officers found and seized a .223 Ruger American Rifle.
Further investigation determined that Hernandez-Flores was unlawfully present in the United States and therefore prohibited under federal law from possessing a firearm. In addition to his prison sentence, he was ordered to forfeit his interest in the rifle.
The case involved multiple agencies including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Highway Patrol, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative intended to use Department of Justice resources against illegal immigration and organized crime.
For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida or access to public court documents online, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
