A Salvadoran MS-13 gang member was arrested by immigration officers in New York after he sought permanent resident status as a Special Immigrant Juvenile.
Jose Calles Henriquez, an illegal alien from El Salvador and self-confessed MS-13 gang member, was taken into custody on May 8 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services alerted immigration officials to the 24-year-old’s background after he attempted to obtain a green card.
Through the agency’s “rigorous screening and vetting” process, USCIS identified Calles Henriquez as a member of the MS-13 gang and flagged him as a public safety threat.
🚨 SHOCKING: MS-13 Gang Member Walks into USCIS Office on Long Island to Apply for GREEN CARD… and Gets ARRESTED!
Jose Calles Henriquez, 24-year-old self-admitted MS-13 savage from El Salvador, showed up May 8th for his Special Immigrant Juvenile appointment — thinking sanctuary… pic.twitter.com/IsxsSm9pCf— CONSTITUTIONAL PATRIOT🇺🇸 (@ConstitustionX) May 21, 2026
USCIS said he applied for lawful permanent resident status as a Special Immigrant Juvenile. Federal agents arrested him when he showed up to an appointment at a Long Island-area USCIS office.
“Under the Biden administration, criminals and gang members masquerading as Special Immigrant Juveniles were allowed to stay in this country, secure work permits, and threaten the safety of the American people,” said USCIS spokesman Zach Kahler. “Those days are over.”
The Special Immigrant Juvenile program allows young illegal immigrants to apply for SIJ classification if a juvenile court has determined they cannot reunify with one or both parents due to abuse, neglect or abandonment. They’re also eligible to apply for lawful permanent resident status and have an eventual path to U.S. citizenship.
Last year, USCIS released findings of a report about rampant fraud and significant national security risks of the Special Immigrant Juvenile program.
On June 6, USCIS rescinded the policy of categorically considering deferred action for special immigrant juveniles.
Congress first established the SIJ program in 1990 and has amended it several times. By law, there are no criminal bars or good moral character requirements for SIJ petition approval.
According to USCIS, Calles Henriquez entered the United States illegally in 2013 by crossing the Rio Grande on a raft near Hidalgo, Texas. At the time, he was issued a notice to appear before an immigration judge by Border Patrol but remained in the country for more than a decade.
He was charged with entering the country illegally and has been placed in removal proceedings. HSI and USCIS’ Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate from Long Island investigated the case.
“Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Mullin, USCIS will use all available resources to detect and arrest those who pose a threat to our way of life,” Kahler said of the USCIS crackdown.
The SIJ report reviewed over 300,000 SIJ petitions filed from the beginning of fiscal year 2013 through February 2025.
USCIS officers found more than half of SIJ petitioners filing in Fiscal Year 2024 were over age 18 and many entered the United States without inspection.
“Criminal aliens are infiltrating the U.S. through a program meant to protect abused, neglected, or abandoned alien children,” USCIS Spokesman Matthew J. Tragesser said after the report was released. “This report exposes how the open border lobby and activist judges are exploiting loopholes in the name of aiding helpless children.”
Some SIJ petitioners committed age and identity fraud, including falsifying their name, date of birth, and country of citizenship.
In addition, a majority came from countries identified as posing national security concerns, “demonstrating the lax screening and vetting and anti-fraud policies of the Biden Administration,” USCIS said.
The report also found 853 known or suspected gang members who sought SIJ status, most of which were approved. More than 600 MS-13 gang members filed SIJ petitions, and more than 500 were approved.
Among the group at least 70 were charged with federal racketeering offenses and many others charged with violent crimes in the United States.
Other approved gang members include more than 100 known or suspected members of the 18th Street gang; at least three Tren de Aragua gang members; and dozens of Sureños and Norteños gang members.
