A 19-year-old illegal alien MS-13 gang banger wanted for homicide in his home country of El Salvador was deported from the United States Thursday, federal immigration officials report.
Romario Antonio Barahona-Garmendia, 19, entered the United States illegally via the southwest U.S. border on August 12 and was detained by border agents, who discovered he was wanted in connection with an MS-13 attack in a small Salvadoran village back in 2014. ICE officials explained in a press release:
According to police reports, on Aug. 16, 2014, Barahona-Garmendia and several MS-13 gang members were involved in a shooting in a small Salvadoran village. Police say one person was killed as a result of heavy gunfire between MS-13 gang members and the Command Guard Sub-Delegation.
This is hardly the first time a person wanted for violent crimes has been removed from the U.S., particularly as ICE focuses more heavily on deporting convicted criminals. Earlier this week, a Guatemalan war criminal wanted in connection with the mass rape and slaughter of an entire village was sentenced to a year in prison and will be subject to removal from the U.S. following his release – but only after he fraudulently applied for and received citizenship by intentionally withholding his past crimes.
Last week, a second Guatemalan man wanted for homicide in his home country was also deported.
ICE reports:
Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 1,700 foreign fugitives from the United States who were sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. In fiscal year 2016, ICE conducted 240,255 removals nationwide. Ninety-two percent of individuals removed from the interior of the United States had previously been convicted of a criminal offense.
These deportations, however, don’t come without a substantial burden to Americans. While it’s true Barahona-Garmendia was detained at the border and held until he could be removed, sparing American citizens and legal immigrants from any future crime at his hands, he was flown back to his home country aboard a chartered jet at American taxpayer expense.