() Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested a Mexican national with confirmed gang ties and a history of deportations during a targeted enforcement operation last month.

Mario Torrez-Lopez, 34, is a self-admitted member of the Sureños gang who has been deported from the United States four times since 2016, according to ICE. Despite removals in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2022, Torrez-Lopez repeatedly returned illegally and allegedly continued criminal activity across multiple states.

“This individual repeatedly crossed the border, joined a violent gang while incarcerated, and built a track record of crime and disregard for the law,” said Mark Zito, special agent in charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City. “He’s exactly the kind of threat we are determined to find, stop and remove from our communities.”

Torrez-Lopez’s criminal record spans more than a decade. 

His first arrest came in 2012 in Indianapolis for resisting arrest and illegally passing a school bus, resulting in felony and misdemeanor convictions. 

After illegally re-entering the U.S. in 2017, he was convicted and sentenced to 30 days in federal custody.

In 2018, he received an 18-month prison sentence for returning to the U.S. after removal. 

Two years later, he was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for another illegal reentry and placed on three years of supervised release. After violating his supervision terms, he was ordered back to federal prison in 2022.

Torrez-Lopez admitted to joining the Sureños gang while incarcerated and has remained affiliated with the organization, ICE said.

His previous removal order has been reinstated, and he will remain in ICE custody while awaiting court appearances.