Federal immigration authorities recently deported several undocumented foreign nationals with documented gang ties and violent criminal histories, according to a Department of Homeland Security announcement released Monday.
The removals, carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, involved individuals associated with several active transnational gangs, including MS-13, the 18th Street gang, the Paisas, La Mirada Locos, and the Surenos. According to DHS, those deported had prior legal records ranging from felony assault and robbery to homicide.
Among those named in the announcement was Josue Isaias Cruz Ruiz, an El Salvador national linked to the 18th Street gang who had been convicted of homicide. Another Salvadoran national, Ermis Francisco Orellana Rivas, affiliated with MS-13, was deported following convictions for strongarm sexual assault and burglary.
DHS also confirmed the deportation of Pablo Othoniel Lopez Sarricolea, a Mexican citizen identified with the Paisas gang. His criminal record includes convictions for assault, driving under the influence, resisting an officer, and illegal re-entry, alongside arrests for property damage and assault.
Two other individuals highlighted in the agency’s release were Erick Palacios Martinez and Nicolas Guzman Hernandez. Palacios Martinez, a Salvadoran national associated with La Mirada Locos, was removed following convictions for robbery, trespassing, and property damage, in addition to arrests for drug and weapon possession.
Guzman Hernandez, a Mexican national linked to the Surenos gang, had been arrested for felony assault prior to his deportation.
“Every day, the brave men and women of ICE are arresting and removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens, including gang members, from our country,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement accompanying the release. “Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, the safety of the American people will always come first. It’s no wonder crime rates have reached record lows, including the murder rate projected to fall to a 126-year low!”
The department’s release also asserted that 80 percent of Americans support federal efforts to deport noncitizens convicted of crimes.
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