Mykol Santos-Santos/Guatemala/MS-13 Gang Member

On May 12, 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Fairfax, Virginia, arrested Mykol Santos-Santos, a 25-year-old Guatemalan national and documented member of the MS-13 gang. Santos-Santos had an extensive criminal history, including over 30 arrests by Fairfax County police since 2020 for offenses such as assault and battery, burglary, drug distribution, larceny, obstruction of justice, and fleeing police.

Despite ICE lodging 16 immigration detainers between 2022 and 2025, the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center released him each time without notifying ICE. During the May 12 arrest, Santos-Santos resisted and injured an ICE officer. ICE officials criticized the local authorities for not honoring the detainers, stating that cooperation could have ensured a safer transfer of custody.

Santos-Santos had previously entered the U.S. illegally in 2014 near Hidalgo, Texas, and was ordered removed to Guatemala in 2023 but was never deported. He is currently in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.