Federal immigration officers arrested an alleged MS-13 kingpin and his associate on Wednesday in Omaha, Nebraska.
The suspected leader is featured on El Salvador’s ‘Top 100 Most Wanted List’, although his identity remains undisclosed by authorities to safeguard an ongoing investigation, as reported first by Fox News.
He faces charges by the Salvadoran government for ‘aggravated homicide involving five victims, attempted aggravated homicide, unlawful captivity, and membership in a terrorist group,’ according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
ICE also said it arrested another ‘MS-13 gang member and foreign terrorist’ named Rene Saul Escobar Ochoa, 30.
Ochoa, who is said to have resided with the suspected leader in Omaha, is sought after for allegedly orchestrating orders for other gang members to carry out murders and engage in drug trafficking.
Two separate videos, both obtained by Fox News, show each man getting taken into custody.
The first video shows the alleged kingpin getting ordered out of his car and slowly backing up towards officers with Homeland Security and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). He is then put in handcuffs without incident.
The second video shows Ochoa wearing ankle shackles and being escorted into a detention facility by two law enforcement officers.
ICE announced the arrests of two men they say are members of MS-13. In this picture, the man accused of being an MS-13 leader is seen exiting his car with his hands up as officers order him to make his way to them
Pictured: Rene Saul Escobar Ochoa, the other man arrested in the targeted operation, was seen getting escorted into a detention facility while wearing ankle shackles
Both men were living illegally in the US, according to ICE. Further, the agency claimed the arrests were a ‘targeted enforcement action’ of suspects who posed a ‘serious threat’ to the Omaha area.
‘These illegal aliens didn’t just sneak into our country, they brought with them a legacy of violence, terror, and death,’ said Mark Zito, ICE Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge of Kansas City.
‘They thought they could hide in America’s heartland, but they were sadly mistaken, not on our watch,’ Zito added.
Daily Mail approached ICE for additional comment.
Acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons also released statement following these arrests, seeking to drive home a point immigration law enforcement officials have been making for months.
‘When ICE agents move in to make an arrest, it is extremely important that the public not interfere,’ Lyons said.
‘The misinformation, and sometimes blatant lies, being spread around the country could result in someone stepping into a federal operation and suddenly finding themselves face-to-face with a killer who has nothing to lose,’ he added.
‘Our ICE officers and agents are protecting your neighborhoods, even when you don’t know the threat is there, so either support them, or get out of the way,’ he concluded.
Lyons was likely referring to pockets of the country where residents have been protesting outside areas where ICE officers are trying to make arrests.
After the arrests, Acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons reiterated that citizens should not be getting in the way of immigration enforcement actions. An example of this was the sustained riot in Los Angeles in early June (Pictured: Protestors confront LAPD officers on horses on June 14)
Los Angeles descended into utter chaos, with a van seen plowing into crowds, protesters torching cars and journalists being shot with rubber bullets by police
This phenomenon was most pronounced in downtown Los Angeles, which saw about six days of sustaining protesting and rioting starting on June 7.
By June 9, the city had descended into utter chaos, with a van seen plowing into crowds, protesters torching cars and journalists being shot with rubber bullets by police.
President Donald Trump responded with a heavy hand and was criticized by Democrats from California and the nation as a whole.
On June 7, he federalized the California National Guard and deployed 2,000 members to the city.
On June 9, he deployed a 2,000 more national guard members and sent 700 Marines, who arrived the next day.
By June 12, the riots had largely fizzled out, but Los Angeles has seen a number of isolated protests in the weeks since, including one at Dodger Stadium.
