(Texas Scorecard) – A Salvadoran fugitive and MS-13 gang member who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally was captured in Houston and removed from the country.
Alexis Bladimir Canizales Romero was wanted in El Salvador for aggravated femicide, aggravated homicide, and unlawful association with MS-13, a transnational criminal gang with ties to the Mexican Mafia.
Canizales was removed by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston, with assistance from ERO El Salvador and the Security Alliance for Fugitive Enforcement Task Force.
He was transported by ICE’s Air Operations Unit to El Salvador and turned over to Salvadoran authorities.
Canizales entered the U.S. illegally in 2020 and was expelled the same day, according to an ICE press release. The MS-13 gang member later re-entered the U.S. at an unknown location without being detected by law enforcement.
“What’s happening is that these individuals know that if they were in front of a Border Patrol agent and their crimes happened in their home country, they will more than likely not be detected as being wanted or having a criminal history because we don’t have a lot information with countries like El Salvador, Nicaragua, or Venezuela,” Victor Avila, retired U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement supervisory special agent, told Texas Scorecard.
On March 31, 2024, ERO Houston found Canizales at the Harris County Jail after he was arrested for driving while intoxicated.
Immigration checks confirmed he was wanted for crimes in El Salvador, and he was transferred into ICE custody. On July 5, an immigration judge ordered Canizales removed from the U.S. to El Salvador. He was removed on August 30.
Taking more time to vet individuals, including checking with the individual’s home consulate or other databases, are actions that should be implemented by CBP, according to Avila.
“Many of the questions Border Patrol asked normally before the last four years are not being asked anymore and sometimes it is because we’re pushing them so fast through the system and Border Patrol agents don’t have the ability to question the individual further,” Avila said. “They need more time and this administration is not allowing them to do that.”
Gangs have continued to cross into the U.S. through the unsecured southwest border, including the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, known for sex trafficking, drug trafficking, and extortion. Mexican authorities have warned that they believe a large number of TdA members have already crossed the border into El Paso.