A Mexican gang member previously deported at least four times has been apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Kansas City, Mo.
Mario Torrez-Lopez, 34, a known member of the Sureños gang, was deported in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2022, illegally reentering the U.S. each time.
According to ICE, Torrez-Lopez joined Sureños, which adheres to the Mexican Mafia prison gang, during a stint in federal prison.
“This individual repeatedly crossed the border, joined a violent gang while incarcerated, and built a track record of crime and disregard for the law,” ICE Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City Special Agent in Charge Mark Zito said in a statement.
“He’s exactly the kind of threat we are determined to find, stop and remove from our communities,” he added.
Torrez-Lopez’s criminal record in the U.S. dates back to 2012, when received felony and misdemeanor charges for resisting arrest and passing a school bus illegally in Indianapolis. He was also convicted for illegally reentering the U.S. in 2017, and later sentenced to 18 months for again illegally reentering the country.
“In 2020, he received a 21-month federal sentence for another illegal reentry and was placed on supervised release for three years,” ICE said. “The supervision was later violated, and in 2022, he was ordered back to federal prison.”
ICE has reinstated a previous removal order for Torrez-Lopez, who will remain in custody awaiting a court appearance.
No details of Torrez-Lopez’s arrest were included in the agency’s news release.
