ICE arrests Interpol-wanted MS-13 member in Maryland

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted a high-profile arrest Monday in Maryland, capturing Joel Armando Mejia-Benitez, a 38-year-old Salvadoran national identified as a validated member of the MS-13 gang.

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Mejía-Benítez, who had no approved or pending visas, was subject to an Interpol red notice, issued to request his location and provisional detention for purposes of legal prosecution.

DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin reported to Fox News Digital that Mejía-Benítez entered the United States illegally in 2005 and was deported on an unspecified date.

He subsequently re-entered the country at an unknown time before being arrested by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Baltimore in 2014. He was issued a summons to appear and released in Silver Spring, Maryland.

"This criminal illegal gang member and suspected terrorist should have never been released into our country. Thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem, he is off our streets and will soon be out of our country," McLaughlin stated.

The arrest coincides with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's first 100 days in DHS. According to acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons, since President Trump took office in January 2025, ICE has made more than 66,000 arrests of undocumented immigrants, including 2,288 members of gangs such as MS-13, Tren de Aragua and Calle 18, in addition to 1,329 charged with or convicted of sex crimes and 498 for murder.

Lyons highlighted ICE's commitment to “protect our families, friends and neighbors by removing public safety and national security threats from our communities."