Officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston have deported Wilmer Alexi Garcia-Manzanarez, a Salvadoran national identified as a leader of the MS-13 gang. Garcia-Manzanarez was removed from the United States to El Salvador on November 3, where he was handed over to authorities.
Garcia-Manzanarez is known for his involvement with MS-13 and was subject to Interpol Red Notices for homicide and terrorist affiliation. In addition to these charges abroad, he has criminal convictions in the United States that include burglary, menacing or intimidation with a weapon, driving under the influence of alcohol, property damage, and driving without a license.
“The removal of Wilmer Alexi Garcia-Manzanarez means that the residents of Massachusetts are exponentially safer,” said ICE ERO Boston acting Field Office Director David Wesling. “Garcia-Manzanarez represents a significant threat to our Massachusetts communities. Aside from his significant criminal history in the U.S., authorities in his home country wanted him to face charges for homicide and terrorist affiliation related to gang membership. ICE Boston will continue to prioritize the safety of American citizens by arresting and removing criminal alien threats from New England.”
Garcia-Manzanarez first entered the U.S. illegally through the Canadian border on March 6, 2001, after which Border Patrol arrested him and released him pending an immigration hearing. On March 18, 2002, an immigration judge ordered his removal from the United States, but he did not leave voluntarily.
Between January 2007 and October 2012, ICE officers deported Garcia-Manzanarez three times; however, each time he re-entered the country illegally. Authorities in El Salvador later issued a warrant for his arrest, and Interpol issued a public Red Notice seeking his apprehension in January 2020. Officers from ICE Boston arrested Garcia-Manzanarez again in Foxboro, Massachusetts on February 18, 2024.
The recent removal operation involved cooperation between ICE ERO Boston, OPLA Boston, ICE ERO El Salvador, and its Security Alliance for Fugitive Enforcement Task Force.
ICE encourages members of the public to report crimes or suspicious activity by calling 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or using their online tip form.
More information about ICE’s work can be found on their X account @EROBoston.
