An alleged fugitive MS-13 gang member on the run in Dallas was caught last week, but only after a violent ambush on federal agents by his own family.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael W. Banks posted on X early Monday that agents located the Salvadoran national on July 2 after he attempted to flee and later returned to his home, where agents were “ambushed and assaulted” by three adult relatives.
“With the assistance of FBI and ICE, all subjects successfully exited the residence and USBP agents determined they were ALL illegally present in the country,” Banks posted. “The Salvadoran national plus two adult females and one adult male will be charged with assaulting a federal agent and put into removal proceedings.”
7/2- MS-13 Gang Member on the run in Dallas, Texas, was located by USBP agents.
The Salvadoran national attempted to evade agents and ultimately drove himself home. Upon arrival at his home, agents were met with three adult relatives who ambushed and assaulted the agents. With… pic.twitter.com/Ky5HYPU6oi— Chief Michael W. Banks (@USBPChief) July 7, 2025
In addition, a 17-year-old who “punched USBP agents” will face state charges for assaulting an officer and also be placed into removal proceedings, Banks said.
Photos accompanying the post show a blurred-out male in federal custody and five handcuffed individuals kneeling outside a residence under the watch of FBI agents in tactical gear. The residence and driveway appear to be located in a residential area of Dallas.
No further details were made available on Monday by the U.S. Border Patrol or the FBI.
The arrest comes days after a related case broke involving another Salvadoran national reportedly tied to violent gangs. On July 3, The Dallas Express reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested 36-year-old Maria Julia Varela, an illegal alien from El Salvador, for her alleged involvement in an assassination attempt in her home country.
ICE claimed Varela has known ties to both the MS-13 and Barrio 18 gangs and had been on the run before making her way into the United States. She was initially apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in 2016 and issued a “notice to appear,” which critics of past immigration policy have described as a loophole allowing dangerous individuals to remain in the country.
“This criminal alien fled El Salvador hoping to evade law enforcement and accountability for an attempt of conspiring to take some one’s life,” said Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Travis Pickard.
The arrest was reportedly part of HSI Dallas’s “National Gang Surge Operation,” a joint initiative with the FBI, U.S. Marshals, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the IRS aimed at dismantling foreign gang networks.
ICE officials linked the operation to the Trump administration’s recent executive order prioritizing the removal of illegal aliens with gang affiliations.
El Salvador, which recently joined the U.S. Global Entry program, continues to be a source of what border officials describe as high-risk entrants, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
In one recent case, an undocumented Salvadoran with a history of violence in two other countries fatally shot a Harris County deputy.
As of the time of this writing, it remains unclear whether the individuals arrested on July 2 in Dallas are connected to the earlier Varela case.