An MS-13 gang member wanted for murder in El Salvador has been arrested in New Jersey and is set for deportation, authorities announced Monday.
Johnathan Stanley Garcia-Vasquez was captured Friday outside his home in West New York, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement said Monday in a press release.
“The United States is not a safe haven for international fugitives seeking to exploit our immigration laws to evade justice in their home countries,” Newark ICE agent John Tsoukaris said in a statement.
Garcia-Vasquez was captured by Border Patrol agents on June 9, 2016, outside Hidalgo, Texas, according to the feds. He was held until Jan. 27, 2017, when he was released from immigration court on bond.
When a Salvadoran judge issued an arrest warrant for Garcia-Vasquez on Aug. 7, 2018, he could not be located by American authorities. The feds did not say how they finally tracked down Garcia-Vasquez more than six years later.
“Our officers’ diligence and commitment to public safety allowed them to safely apprehend this international fugitive before he could cause harm to the citizens and residents of New Jersey,” Tsoukaris said. “I am also grateful to the FBI for their support with the arrest of this transnational criminal.”
Garcia-Vasquez is wanted in El Salvador on charges of homicide and belonging to a terrorist organization. He did not face any charges in the U.S. but was in the country illegally.