Border Patrol Agents Bust Convicted MS-13 Member

Border Patrol agents assigned to the Ajo Station in southwestern Arizona arrested a previously deported MS-13 gang member. The man had multiple convictions; including violent felonies.

The Tucson Sector agents captured Misael Ramirez-Benitez, a Salvadoran national, shortly after he illegally crossed the border from Mexico Sunday night. He crossed near the town of Lukeville, Arizona, according to information provided to Breitbart Texas from U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Rob Daniels.

Agents took Ramirez to the Ajo Station for processing. A records check revealed multiple convictions in the Salvadoran’s criminal history. Agents also determined Ramirez to be a member of the hyper-violent transnational criminal gang, MS-13.

Ramirez’s prior crimes in multiple states include convictions for robbery and assault with a weapon, officials stated.

Agents arrested the previously deported criminal alien and he now faces a new felony charge of illegal re-entry as an aggravated felon. If convicted, Ramirez could face up to 20 years in a federal prison for illegally re-entering the U.S. after being deported as a felon.

Federal and state law enforcement officials are focusing on a nationwide roundup of MS-13 gang members, many of whom are illegal aliens with violent criminal records. Breitbart Texas has provided extensive coverage of the crimes carried out by MS-13 and the effort to bring them to justice.

In June, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and agents rounded up 39 MS-13 gang members in New York. “Transnational gangs like MS-13 bring nothing but violence and conflict to our communities and their presence will not be tolerated. Their vicious criminal activities present an ongoing challenge for law enforcement everywhere,” Special Agent in Charge of HSI New York Angel M. Melendez said in a written statement at the time.

FBI Assistant Director in Charge for New York William F. Sweeney, Jr., called MS-13 the “most violent and well-organized” gang in America, during his testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee’s Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence in June.

“Their motivation is rooted in a desire to kill for the sake of killing,” Sweeney testified. “The attacks on their victims are gruesome, typically up close and personal. They often involve mutilation and dismemberment and are sometimes recorded.”

The rise of MS-13 gang violence dramatically impacted crime in the nation’s fourth-largest city, Houston. In April, Governor Greg Abbott announced the creation of a Texas Anti-Gang Task Force to target these criminal alien gang members. Houston is one of the five cities that the FBI has identified to have a large MS-13 presence. Darby and Ortiz reported that the State of Texas considers the gang to be a Tier 1-level threat – the “most significant” threat level.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.