US authorities on Thursday detained an alleged leader of the Salvadoran gang MS-13 in Virginia, the Trump administration said, hailing the arrest as part of a crackdown on organized criminal groups.
The suspect, identified by US Justice Department officials as 24-year-old Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos, was charged with being an undocumented alien in possession of a firearm, according to court records.
Donald Trump described Santos as a “major leader of MS13” — the Latin America-based gang designated a foreign terrorist organization by the US president.
Attorney General Pam Bondi told a news conference the suspect was from El Salvador and was in the United States illegally, adding he “will not be living in our country much longer.”
“This morning, one of the top leaders of MS-13 was apprehended. He was the leader for the East Coast, one of the top three in the entire country, right here in Virginia, living half an hour outside of Washington, DC,” she said.
During his first appearance in federal court Wednesday, Santos appeared without an attorney, prompting the court to appoint one to represent him.
He was informed of his rights with a Spanish interpreter present, and was ordered to remain in custody until his next hearing on April 1, according to a court docket.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt separately told reporters the suspect was a “very violent individual who was picked up in a home with five children present.”
Trump has sought to target predominantly Hispanic criminal groups operating in the United States since he returned to the White House in January, alongside a broader clampdown on illegal immigration.
The US president stirred backlash from Democrats and rights groups this month when he invoked a 200-year-old law to deport alleged members of MS-13 and another gang, Tren de Aragua, to a prison in El Salvador.
That decision is now being challenged in court, where a judge has questioned the legality of using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, and is probing whether the Trump administration ignored an order he made to halt the deportation flights.
