Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have arrested a confirmed member of the 18th Street Gang who was listed among El Salvador’s most wanted fugitives, federal officials announced.
Antonio Israel Lazo-Quintanilla, 31, was taken into ICE custody a few weeks back. While his only known offense in the United States was driving without a license, authorities say he is wanted in El Salvador for aggravated homicide, extortion, and multiple drug-related felonies.
The 18th Street Gang, designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, is one of Central America’s most violent transnational criminal networks. ICE said Lazo-Quintanilla’s arrest highlights the agency’s ongoing work to locate and remove dangerous foreign fugitives who enter the country illegally.
“Seventy percent of ICE arrests are of criminal illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the United States,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “This gang member on El Salvador’s most wanted list is a perfect example of ICE targeting the worst of the worst. He may lack a violent rap sheet in the U.S., but this criminal illegal alien is clearly a public safety threat. The media’s false claims that ICE is not arresting the worst of the worst simply have no grounding. In reality, ICE is arresting criminal illegal aliens before they can victimize Americans.”
ICE officials said roughly 70% of individuals arrested by the agency have been charged with or convicted of a crime in the United States. That number, they added, does not include gang members, human rights violators, or foreign fugitives wanted abroad for serious offenses.
The Department of Homeland Security said the arrest underscores the agency’s focus on public safety and its partnerships with international law enforcement. Both correspond with their desire to remove the worst of the worst and keep the American people safe. ICE continues to coordinate with foreign governments to ensure wanted criminals are located and removed from the United States before they can reoffend.
