MS-13 member deported to face aggravated murder charges in El Salvador
BALTIMORE — A Salvadoran man wanted on charges in his home country for aggravated homicide and membership in an illicit group was deported earlier this month by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
According to Salvadoran authorities Luis Antonio Garcia Garcia, 38, is a confirmed member of Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13. Among MS-13 members, Garcia goes by the moniker “El Shaggy”. He is wanted in El Salvador for aggravated homicide related to an incident on April 12, 2008 when Garcia allegedly shot a male victim multiple times, resulting in the victim’s death on the scene. Salvadoran authorities have also charged Garcia with membership in an illicit group.
After the alleged murder, Garcia fled to the United States. Garcia had multiple drug convictions in the U.S., including a conviction by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on Oct. 15, 2014 for attempt to distribute a controlled substance and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, for which he was sentenced to 12 months incarceration.
Baltimore ERO officers encountered and arrested Garcia in Hyattsville, Maryland on Jan. 12, 2015. Garcia was ordered removed from the U.S. on Jan. 26, 2015 and that decision was upheld by an immigration judge on June 23, 2015. Garcia was removed to El Salvador by Baltimore ERO officers on Aug. 21, 2015.
“We will not allow violent criminals to seek refuge from justice in the United States,” said Dorothy Herrera-Niles, ERO Baltimore field office director. “We will continue to seek out these dangerous criminals, especially members of organized criminal gangs, who pose a public safety threat to our community. We will remove them to ensure they face justice in their home countries and to make our city safer.”
Garcia was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice alerting law enforcement officials around the world about his alleged crimes and wanted status. The Red Notice cautioned that Garcia should be considered “armed and dangerous”.
Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 1,150 foreign fugitives from the United States who were sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. ERO works with the ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Office of International Operations, foreign consular offices in the United States, and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the United States.
ERO coordinates the removal of criminals, foreign fugitives and others ordered deported. Last year alone, ERO removed 315,943 individuals from the United States. ICE is focused on smart and effective immigration enforcement that prioritizes its resources based on those who pose the biggest threat to national security, border security and public safety. ICE’s civil enforcement efforts are based on priorities set by the Secretary of Homeland Security in November 2014.
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