U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Virginia State Police has taken a member of the MS-13 gang into custody. The Salvadoran national, Silvia Lorena Bonilla-De Jandres, aged 40, was apprehended in Alexandria, Virginia on February 25. Bonilla-De Jandres is wanted in El Salvador for charges including extortion, blackmail, and terrorist affiliation.
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington, D.C. Field Office Director Russ Hott commented on the arrest: “Silvia Lorena Bonilla-De Jandres is not only the member of a transnational criminal enterprise known for violence, she has also apparently attempted to flee justice in her home country and hide out in Northern Virginia. We will not allow our Washington, D.C. and Virginia communities to become safe havens for the world’s bad actors. ICE Washington, D.C. remains dedicated to our mission of prioritizing public safety and protecting our residents by arresting and removing illegal alien offenders.”
Bonilla was originally detained by U.S. Border Patrol after an illegal entry into the United States near Rio Grande Valley, Texas on February 21, 2016. She was placed into removal proceedings following her arrest. El Salvador’s authorities issued a warrant on August 28, 2017, charging her with several crimes due to her MS-13 affiliation. An Interpol red notice for Bonilla was issued on November 24, 2017.
A Department of Justice immigration judge decided on July 11, 2025, to remove Bonilla from the United States to El Salvador.
The public is encouraged to report crimes and suspicious activities by calling 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or by completing the online tip form. Additional information on ICE’s public safety mission can be found on their social media platform, X, at @EROWashington.
