Pam Bondi: "We have captured one of the top leaders of MS13"

Pam Bondi: "Early this morning, one of the top leaders of MS-13 was arrested. He was the leader of the East Coast, one of the top three in the entire country, here in Virginia, living half an hour from Washington DC. He is an illegal immigrant from El Salvador. And he won't be living much longer in our country. He is in custody this morning. One of the top leaders right near our national capital. This has been an ongoing directive from President Trump. His directive to me when I became the U.S. Attorney General was very simple. Keep America safe. Make America safe again. And that’s what these men and women have been doing tirelessly. Every day since Donald Trump took office, we want to make our streets safer. We want to make our schools safer. We want to make our neighborhoods safer.

MS-13. They are organized. They are violent. They are committing homicides all over our country. They are one of the most dangerous gangs in our country, and we will fight until they are completely dismantled."

On March 27, 2025, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the capture of Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos, a high-ranking leader of the MS-13 gang, in Virginia. Villatoro, 24 years old and originally from El Salvador, was living illegally near Washington, D.C., and was considered one of the top three leaders of MS-13 in the country. The operation, backed by the Trump administration, involved multiple federal agencies and resulted in the arrest of 340 criminals in the state.

This action is part of the ongoing efforts of the Trump administration to combat illegal immigration and dismantle criminal organizations like MS-13. President Trump celebrated the capture, highlighting his administration's commitment to national security.

To date, no further updates have been provided on the legal or procedural status of Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos. However, it was speculated that he could be deported to El Salvador directly to the maximum-security anti-terrorism prison known as CECOT.