ICE removes multiple convicted gang members from the United States

Immigration and Customs Enforcement recently deported several illegal-resident gang affiliates who had been convicted of violent crimes, including homicide and sexual assault.

ICE has executed a wave of deportations involving illegal-resident gang members who were previously sentenced for serious offenses. The agency highlighted the removal of Josue Isaias Cruz Ruiz, an 18th Street gang affiliate from El Salvador convicted of homicide, and Ermis Francisco Orellana Rivas, an MS-13 member also from El Salvador, who had been convicted of a strong-arm sexual assault involving sodomy and burglary.

Other individuals sent back included Pablo Othoniel Lopez Sarricolea, a Mexican national linked to the Paisas gang with past assault and drunk-driving convictions, Erick Palacios Martinez, an El Salvadoran La Mirada Locos member with robbery and trespassing records, and Nicolas Guzman Hernandez, a Mexican Surenos member previously arrested for felony assault. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson framed the operation as part of an ongoing commitment to prioritize American safety, citing recent declines in overall crime rates. The deportations were presented as evidence of the administration’s focus on removing dangerous illegal aliens from the country.