A truck driver from El Salvador is facing federal charges after being accused of lying about his citizenship at the Lewiston Bridge Port of Entry in Niagara County, New York, on May 17, 2025.
The details: Oscar David Contreras Guzman, 49, was driving a commercial truck with Maryland plates. While crossing into the U.S., he handed border officials a Maryland driver's license and claimed he was a citizen of Mexico, saying he'd been turned away from Canada after taking a wrong turn on his route to Michigan.
- Officers sent Guzman for a closer check. He again claimed he was from Mexico and showed a Mexican Consular ID.
- Fingerprint scans showed he was actually from El Salvador and had been deported from the U.S. back in 2007.
- The charges are part of a larger effort by the Department of Justice focused on illegal immigration and cartel activities.
If found guilty of the false statement charge, Guzman could get up to five years in federal prison and face a $250,000 fine, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York.