Guatemalan man arrested during ICE operation at Omaha restaurant sentenced to one year in federal prison

OMAHA, Neb.— The Guatemalan man whose arrest at an Omaha restaurant drew widespread attention earlier this year has now been sentenced in federal court.

Federal prosecutors announced that 26-year-old Romeo Edilzar Yaxcal-Tiul was sentenced Wednesday to 12 months in prison for falsely using a Social Security number and resisting a federal officer.

A judge ordered the two sentences to run concurrently, followed by a one-year term of supervised release.

There is no parole in the federal system, and officials say Yaxcal-Tiul will be deported after completing his sentence.

The judge noted that the supervised release is meant to deter him from attempting to return to the U.S.

According to federal investigators, Yaxcal-Tiul entered the country illegally sometime after two failed border-crossing attempts in 2022. He later made his way to Nebraska, where prosecutors say he used a fake name, Social Security number, and multiple fraudulent identification documents to get a dishwashing job at the Omaha restaurant "Early Bird" in October 2024.

Prosecutors say that when officers identified themselves and ordered him not to move, Yaxcal-Tiul ran into a crowded patio, dove into a booth full of customers and continued resisting arrest on the ground. One federal officer was injured during the struggle.

A later investigation confirmed that the Social Security and Alien numbers Yaxcal-Tiul used were not valid or assigned to him.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.