Exclusive: Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) made a significant arrest in Maryland on Monday.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) informed that Joel Armando Mejia-Benitez, 38, is a “confirmed MS-13 gang member” from El Salvador without any visa status at the time of his arrest.
ICE Baltimore apprehended Mejia-Benitez based on an Interpol Red Notice. He initially entered the U.S. illegally in 2005, was deported, and later re-entered at an unknown time before being arrested in Baltimore in 2014. This was shared in an exclusive statement.
An Interpol Red Notice, while not an “international arrest warrant,” seeks to detain a person for further legal proceedings. The notice system includes over 6,500 individuals.
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The timing of this arrest coincides with Secretary Christie Noem’s recent recruitment by DHS to record 100 days of activity.
“A suspected terrorist and gang member should not be released in our nation. Thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem, he has been removed from our city and will soon leave our country,” McLaughlin stated.
The latest apprehensions contribute to over 666,000 arrests since Trump took office in January, encompassing numerous criminal records in addition to illegal immigration cases.
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ICE Acting Director Todd M. Lyon remarked, “Our teams work tirelessly to remove threats to public safety and national security from our communities. In President Trump’s first 100 days, ICE alone has arrested over 65,000 illegal immigrants, including 2,288 gang members from MS-13 and other groups.” He also noted that 1,329 individuals were accused or convicted of sexual crimes, with 498 charged or convicted of murder.
Some gang members have returned to El Salvador, receiving both praise and criticism regarding the eligibility criteria for their repatriation.
The U.S. intelligence agency claims the Venezuelan administration will not control the Tren de Aragua gang.
The Trump administration contended that members of recognized foreign terrorist organizations, like MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, have not undergone the same legal scrutiny as other individuals, a point of contention for many, especially among Democrats.
In the meantime, encounters at the southern border have significantly decreased in recent months.
