Aldo Salazar Bahena/Mexico/Murder, Gang Violence

As part of Operation Midway Blitz, ICE officers arrested 37‑year‑old Aldo Salazar Bahena, a Mexican national and Larazo gang member, on September 15 in Elgin, Illinois. Days earlier, Stateville Correctional Center, a maximum‑security prison in Crest Hill, released him on September 12 despite an ICE detainer, leaving him free in the community for three days under Illinois’ sanctuary policies.​

Salazar entered the United States in 1998 as a lawful permanent resident but never became a citizen and instead retained Mexican citizenship. On September 3, 2005, he and fellow gang members beat 21‑year‑old Fernando Diaz Jr. to death near the Fox River after allegedly taking offense at a remark about their gang; a Kane County judge convicted him of murder on July 10, 2007, and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. An immigration judge issued a final removal order on September 26, 2016, terminating his green‑card status.​

After Stateville declined to transfer him directly to ICE, agents tracked Salazar down in Elgin and took him into custody. He will remain detained pending his removal from the United States.