Foreign gang members with criminal histories in the United States who were previously ordered to be removed from the country were recently arrested, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Guerra was previously arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol in March 2021 after he was found to have illegally entered the United States via the southern border. He was released in May that year.
On Oct. 2, 2024, a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) immigration judge ordered Guerra to be removed from the country and sent back to Guatemala. On Jan. 3, 2025, Guerra was arraigned for offenses of possessing a class D controlled substance, owning a large-capacity weapon/firearm, possessing ammunition, and owning a firearm without a permit.
Subsequently, ICE ERO Boston issued an immigration detainer against Guerra on Jan. 6 with the Nashua Street Jail in Boston. However, the court ignored the detainer request and released him from custody on Jan. 21. Officers from ERO Boston arrested him a day later. Guerra now remains in ERO custody.
Acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde said that Guerra had shown a “complete disregard for American laws.”
“He is a member of a violent street gang charged with illegally possessing a high-capacity firearm and drugs. We will not tolerate such offenders to threaten the residents of our New England neighborhoods. ERO Boston will continue to arrest and remove egregious alien offenders from our communities,” Hyde said.
Similarly, Romero’s arrest came after Prince George’s County Detention Center failed to honor an immigration detainer and released him.
A DOJ immigration judge ordered Romero to be sent back to El Salvador in 2023 after he did not show up for an immigration hearing. He has pending criminal charges for owning a loaded handgun and ammunition, according to an ICE statement.
“MS-13’s designation as a terrorist organization highlights the grave threat it poses to public safety. The arrest of Romero sends a clear message: ICE is unwavering in its commitment to protecting our nation’s communities,” said ERO Baltimore acting Field Office Director Matthew Elliston.
“Removing egregious criminal aliens from our Maryland streets is a win for law-abiding residents and a critical step toward ensuring safer neighborhoods.”
Action Against Illegal Aliens
ICE has arrested hundreds in recent enforcement operations after the Trump administration came into office. According to the agency, targeted operations involve the “planned arrests of known criminal aliens who threaten national security or public safety.”Since Jan. 23, the department has been posting single-day statistics of illegal alien arrests. So far this week, there have been more than 3,100 arrests and more than 2,500 lodged detainers in the first three days.
On Jan. 20, Trump signed an executive order aimed at “securing our borders,” which would seek to deter and prevent the entry of illegal aliens, remove “promptly all aliens who enter or remain in violation of federal law,” and pursue criminal charges “against illegal aliens who violate the immigration laws,” among other measures.
“Consider, in exercising your enforcement discretion, whether to apply expedited removal,” the memo said. “This may include steps to terminate any ongoing removal proceeding and/or any active parole status.”
“We have 30,000 beds in Guantanamo to detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people. Some of them are so bad ... so we’re going to send them out to Guantanamo,” Trump said.
