An illegal immigrant from El Salvador with a weapons conviction was arrested last month after Maryland authorities continued to put him back on the streets, citing sanctuary policies, despite his criminal record, immigration officials announced.
The unidentified 24-year-old man, an alleged gang member, was taken into federal custody in Silver Spring on Jan. 10, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Most recently, in September 2022, he was convicted of illegally possessing an unregistered firearm and sentenced to five years in prison. However, the Montgomery County Circuit Court later suspended his sentence for four years and dismissed his remaining charges.
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A Salvadoran national who has been arrested multiple times was taken into custody by federal immigration officials last month. (ice)
“This Salvadoran non-national posed a serious threat to residents of Maryland communities,” said Darius Reeves, ICE ERO Baltimore Field Office Director. “Not only is he a legitimate member of a notorious street gang, but he has also demonstrated a willingness to illegally carry a firearm in public.”
Authorities say the man entered the United States illegally in June 2014 as an unaccompanied minor through the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. He was given a notice to appear before an immigration judge and was released to his mother in Rockville, Maryland, in July 2014.
According to ICE, an immigration judge ordered his deportation in August 2014 for failing to appear in court. In November 2016, Montgomery County police arrested him on charges of first-degree assault and weapons offenses.
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Immigration authorities filed a detention request with the Montgomery County Detention Center, which means requesting notification of a suspect’s release date in order to place him in federal custody for deportation proceedings.
In February 2017, the detainer’s request was ignored, the Salvadoran national was released, and the charges were sent to juvenile court. That same year, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed he was an associate of a street gang.
He was arrested again by Montgomery County police in 2018, charged with making false statements to a peace officer and obstruction, and was requested to be detained again by ICE.
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The charges against him were dismissed in May 2018, and his request for detention was also denied.
After his most recent conviction, he was detained in a county jail, but his requests for re-detention were ignored, resulting in his release in August 2023, according to ICE.
He is currently in federal custody pending deportation, authorities said.
