ICE removes MS-13 gang member accused of 8 counts of murder

An alleged MS-13 gang member who was recently removed from the country by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) will face eight murder charges in El Salvador.

Leandro Cruz, 24, was previously convicted of assault and battery in Massachusetts. After serving a sentence in the Suffolk County House of Corrections, he was turned over to ICE officials on an active detainer.

An immigration judge ordered Cruz’s removal on Nov. 30. ICE ERO deportation officers transferred him using air escort and turned him over to Salvadorian officials to face pending murder charges.

“Transnational gangs like MS-13 are an insidious source of violence and many forms of other criminal activity in far too communities here and abroad,” C.M. Cronen, director of ICE’s ERO Boston field office, said. “Mr. Cruz will now face justice in his home country for the horrendous crimes for which he stands accused.”

Cruz’s removal was the latest in ERO’s Security Alliance for Fugitive Enforcement (SAFE) initiative. The initiative identifies and removes foreign fugitives who are deemed ineligible to remain in the United States and are wanted abroad, eliminating the need for formal extradition requests.

Since 2009, ERO has removed more than 1,700 foreign fugitives from the United States. The fugitives have faced charges in their home countries that include kidnapping, murder, and rape.