Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that they had taken into custody an MS-13 “kingpin” who is wanted for murder in his native El Salvador on Wednesday in Omaha, Nebraska, according to federal immigration officials.
The gang member, who is listed on El Salvador’s “100 Most Wanted” list, has not yet been identified to the public. He is wanted for “aggravated homicide of five victims, attempted aggravated homicide, deprivation of liberty and terrorist organization affiliation,” in his home country, according to an ICE press release.
“These illegal aliens didn’t just sneak into our country, they brought with them a legacy of violence, terror, and death,” Mark Zito ICE Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge of Kansas City, told Fox News. “They thought they could hide in America’s heartland, but they were sadly mistaken, not on our watch.”
The raid also led to the capture of an “MS-13 gang member and foreign terrorist” who is wanted in a Central American country for allegedly issuing orders to carry out a series of serious crimes, including murder and drug trafficking. ICE conducted the operation as part of a “targeted enforcement effort,” citing both individuals as significant threats to public safety in the area.
“When ICE agents move in to make an arrest, it is extremely important that the public not interfere,” ICE acting Director Todd M. Lyons said in a statement. “The misinformation, and sometimes blatant lies, being spread around the country could result in someone stepping into a federal operation and suddenly finding themselves face-to-face with a killer who has nothing to lose.”
Lyons added: “Our ICE officers and agents are protecting your neighborhoods, even when you don’t know the threat is there, so either support them, or get out of the way.”
The arrests come as ICE significantly ramps up immigration enforcement efforts following a major funding increase included in the recently signed Big Beautiful Bill. The legislation, signed into law this past Saturday, raises the agency’s annual budget from $2 billion to $45 billion.
On Monday, White House border czar Tom Homan announced that ICE is now aiming for over 7,000 deportations per day moving forward. If agents maintain that pace, the total would reach approximately 1.2 million arrests by the end of the year.
“And for those that say 3,000 a day is too much, I want to remind them, do the math, we have to arrest 7,000 every single day for the remainder of this administration just to catch the ones Biden released into the nation,” Homan told reporters Monday outside the White House.
