A report on Friday shows that an MS-13 gang member and El Salvadoran fugitive who is among the most wanted people in the country was arrested by United States authorities in Virginia during a targeted operation by ICE in the area.
Herberth Bonilla-Garcia, a 40-year-old gang member who is reportedly listed in EL Salvador’s 100 most wanted criminals in the country, was arrested in Manassas, Virginia on Dec.1, after having entered the country from an unknown date through an unknown location, according to an ICE report.
Bonilla-Garcia, who is allegedly a member of the MS-13 gang, has warrants out for his arrest in El Salvador for illicit association and aggravated extortion, and the man has been a fugitive from the country for a while now, Fox News reported.
ICE had reportedly received a tip in October that Bonilla-Garcia was living in Virginia after having entered the U.S. without going through the proper immigration channels. They reportedly confirmed the active warrants with El Salvador before its Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) had planned the raid, WUSA 9 reported.
Bonilla-Garcia has had past experiences with immigration officials in the country, reportedly being deported in 2006 and 2012 for entering the country through unofficial means.
In a statement to the press, Assistant Field Office Director Erik Weiss said that Bonilla-Garcia has had “a history” of entering the U.S. through “unlawful” ways, saying that his entry into the country this time appeared to be an attempt to “escape justice in his home country.”
“The United States is not a safe haven for the world’s criminals. ERO Washington, D.C. remains committed to protecting our residents by enforcing our laws and exhausting every effort to ensure fugitives face the justice they seek to evade,” he continued.
Bonilla-Garcia will continue to be held by ICE officials in detention until he is extradited back to El Salvador.
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