Officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, D.C. field office, arrested a Salvadorian fugitive on Dec. 1, listed as one of the top one hundred most wanted criminals in the Central American country.
Herberth Bonilla-Garcia, 40, was arrested in Manassas, Virginia, during a targeted operation, after ERO received a lead about him from the FBI, according to an ICE press release.
Bonilla entered the United States illegally at least twice, at unknown dates and locations. He was removed twice, in 2006 and 2012.
“Herberth Bonilla-Garcia has a history of unlawfully entering the U.S. and this time he apparently did so to escape justice in his home country,” said Assistant Field Office Director Erik Weiss of ERO Washington, D.C. “The United States is not a safe haven for the world’s criminals. ERO Washington, D.C. remains committed to protecting our residents by enforcing our laws and exhausting every effort to ensure fugitives face the justice they seek to evade.”
The government of El Salvador issued arrest warrants for Bonilla-Garcia in January and April 2015, according to the press release.
ERO previously received a lead referral for him in the Northern Virginia area on Oct. 14, 2022.
In the fiscal year 2021, ERO arrested 12,025 individuals with aggravated felony convictions.
Street gangs in El Salvador have become one of the country’s biggest problems, asking for protection money from businesses, cabs, and bus drivers, according to FOX.
Illegal immigration surged to record levels following Biden’s inauguration and decisions shortly thereafter to repeal the tight enforcement policies of his predecessor, President Donald Trump, especially the “Remain in Mexico” program that required staying in Mexico while awaiting disposition of asylum requests and other legal matters.
On Dec. 23, data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection showed that, in November, the agency recorded 233,740 migrant encounters across the southern border, which stretches almost 2,000 miles.
That marks more than a 30 percent increase compared to the same period in November 2021.
Mark Tapscott and Jeff Louderback contributed to this report.
