U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) apprehended a suspected MS-13 gang member in New York, who officials said lived “just steps” from a middle school.
ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrested Jamie Manual Perez Perez, 42, in Brentwood on September 3, the agency reported on Tuesday.
“This alleged MS-13 associate resided mere feet from school property and went about his life virtually unchecked and consequence-free – until his past finally caught up with him,” HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Ricky Patel said in a statement.
Salvadorean national Perez Perez was “wanted by Interpol and had a Red Notice for aggravated extortion and threat to injure a person—charges stemming from crimes he allegedly committed in his home country,” according to ICE.
The Border Patrol initially apprehended Perez Perez in El Paso, Texas, in April 2019, following his illegal entry into the United States, according to officials.
“Border Patrol officials issued him a notice to appear, and he was subsequently placed in removal proceedings, with an individual hearing scheduled for February 2026,” ICE said.
Perez was detained in New York after a traffic encounter. He will now be held in ICE custody until his deportation from American soil.
“This MS-13 gang member and international fugitive mistakenly thought he could hide out in the United States to evade justice in his home country,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) New York City acting Field Office Director Judith Almodovar. “Let this arrest serve notice that we remain committed to protecting our communities by removing criminal illegal aliens from our country.”
Patel also said, “Children deserve to safely go to school each day without the fear of what evil might be lurking next door.”
“I thank HSI New York’s Long Island investigators who, alongside our ICE partners, are targeting the proliferation and complacency of vicious transnational criminal street gangs in our communities every day,” he added.