ERO Newark arrests unlawfully present Salvadoran citizen and member of MS-13, wanted for aggravated homicide

NEWARK, N.J. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Newark, with assistance from FBI Newark, arrested Salvadoran citizen and known member of the MS-13 criminal organization Johnathan Stanley Garcia-Vasquez, aka Johnathan Stanley Garcia-Garcia, Dec. 20. Garcia is wanted by authorities in El Salvador for aggravated homicide and terrorist organizations.

Fugitive operation officers arrested Garcia outside his residence in West New York, New Jersey, pursuant to a warrant of removal. He is currently in ERO custody pending removal from the United States.

“The United States is not a safe haven for international fugitives seeking to exploit our immigration laws to evade justice in their home countries, said ERO Newark Field Office Director John Tsoukaris. “Our officers’ diligence and commitment to public safety allowed them to safely apprehend this international fugitive before he could cause harm to the citizens and residents of New Jersey. I am also grateful to the FBI for their support with the arrest of this transnational criminal.”

U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered Garcia June 9, 2016, near Hidalgo, Texas, and served him with a notice and order of expedited removal. He was detained in ERO custody at that time. An immigration judge granted Garcia a bond Jan. 27, 2017, and ERO released Garcia from ICE custody after he posted bond.

The Specialized Magistrate’s Court of San Miguel, El Salvador, issued an arrest warrant for Garcia Aug. 7, 2018, for the offenses of aggravated homicide and terrorist organizations. An immigration judge ordered Garcia removed in absentia from the United States Oct. 30, 2018. ERO Newark breached Garcia’s bond Dec. 6, 2018, after he failed to surrender for removal.

Noncitizens placed into removal proceedings receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Executive Office for Immigration Review. EOIR is an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice and is separate from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case. ERO officers carry out the removal decisions made by the federal immigration judges.

ERO is one of ICE’s three operational directorates and is the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO’s mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency’s detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal.

Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-347-2423 or completing ICE’s online tip form.

Learn more about ERO New York’s mission to preserve public safety on Twitter @ERONewark.