MS-13 Trump Crackdown Sparks Nationwide Arrests

Federal law enforcement agencies across the U.S. are intensifying efforts to dismantle the MS-13 gang following President Donald Trump’s January executive order designating transnational criminal gangs as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs). MS-13, an ultra-violent international gang, was one of eight groups officially labeled an FTO in February.

This move comes in response to record-high illegal crossings, including more than 300,000 Salvadorans entering the U.S. under the Biden administration. Now, under Trump’s directive, federal agents are tracking, arresting, and removing MS-13 members from U.S. communities. The Center Square reports that more than 2,700 individuals affiliated with terrorist organizations have been arrested since Trump’s return to office.

In Maine, Border Patrol agents recently arrested two Salvadoran MS-13 members. One suspect, caught during a traffic stop, was wanted by Interpol for aggravated murder. Another was tracked down in Portland by the Anti-Smuggling Unit. Both are being held for removal proceedings.

“The U.S. Border Patrol is committed to putting dangerous terrorists and violent gang members behind bars,” said Houlton Sector Chief Juan Bernal. “Members of the MS-13 terrorist organization should know that our agents will find you… and we will work to remove you from our country.”

In Detroit, agents arrested two illegal aliens—one of whom admitted to serving 20 years in a Salvadoran prison for murder as an MS-13 member. Detroit Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Javier Geronimo, Jr., praised the operation as a win for public safety.

Meanwhile, in Dallas, ICE arrested 36-year-old Salvadoran national Maria Julia Varela, linked to MS-13 and Barrio 18. She is wanted in El Salvador for organizing an assassination attempt and remains in ICE custody awaiting removal.

In Boston, ICE agents captured 24-year-old MS-13 member William Alberto Villalobos-Melendez, who had evaded deportation orders since 2019 after entering illegally in 2016. ICE ERO Boston Director Patricia Hyde stated, “ICE Boston will not tolerate any threat that a member of a nefarious gang poses to our neighbors.”

President Trump’s FTO designation has given immigration enforcement a powerful legal tool to treat violent gangs as national security threats—reframing gang removal as counterterrorism. Federal agents continue sweeping arrests to protect American communities from international criminal networks.

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