ICE removes Salvadoran gang member wanted in home country for aggravated homicide

WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations in Washington, D.C. removed an unlawfully present foreign fugitive who is wanted in El Salvador for aggravated homicide and illicit association.

Walter Jose Galeas Sanchez, 40, a documented MS-13 gang member, was removed from the United States Dec. 13.

“This individual was unlawfully present in the United States while being sought for egregious crimes in El Salvador,” said ERO Washington, D.C. Field Office Director Liana Castano. “By removing dangerous criminals like Galeas, we uphold the integrity of our immigration system and help ensure they are held accountable for their actions. There is no refuge in the United States for those who evade justice abroad.”

Galeas entered the United States on an unknown date location without inspection by an immigration official and was subsequently arrested during a targeted operation Dec. 14, 2022, in New York City. An immigration judge ordered Galeas removed May 9, 2023.

The Security Alliance for Fugitive Enforcement program is a fugitive enforcement and information sharing partnership that was created in 2012 to better use subject information derived from local in-country investigative resources and leads to locate, apprehend, detain, and remove individuals residing in the U.S. illegally who were subject to foreign arrest warrants. The SAFE program operates under the respective host nation’s assistant attaché for removal, which constructs a SAFE task force composed of relevant foreign law enforcement agencies, immigration authorities, attorneys general, and national identification repositories – as well as other regional, national, state, and local government agencies. The managing attaché ensures that each task force member complies with SAFE policies and standards consistent with the program’s standard operating procedures. Once established, the attaché-led SAFE task force generates new leads and vets existing SAFE fugitive referrals for ERO action.

ERO is one of ICE’s three operational directorates and is the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO’s mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency’s detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO’s workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas postings, and multiple temporary duty travel assignments along the border.

Members of the public who have information about foreign fugitives are urged to contact ICE by calling the ICE Tip Line at 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or online by completing ICE’s online tip form.

Learn more about ERO Washington, D.C.’s mission to increase public safety in our communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @EROWashington.

Source: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE.gov)