Mineola, NY – Three violent MS-13 gang members are in Nassau County police custody after a coordinated operation on Thursday led to arrests on charges including attempted murder, gang assault, and weapons possession.
Two of the suspects illegally entered the U.S. during the Biden administration, according to ICE officials.
Immigration detainers have been filed for all three, and ICE will assume custody upon their release from the New York justice system.
Elias Wilfredo Serrano Bonilla, 21, a Salvadoran national who entered the country illegally before December 2016, was arrested August 8 on a slate of violent charges, including eight counts of attempted murder and first-degree gang assault. Nassau police had previously arrested him in 2020 on similar gang-related charges. Serrano’s new charges also include robbery, conspiracy, and numerous weapons violations.
Edras Daniel Velasquez Giron, 19, from Honduras, had been ordered removed by an immigration judge in September 2023 but failed to appear. Velasquez now faces six counts of attempted murder and a series of charges including first-degree assault, second-degree conspiracy, and weapons possession. He also remains in county custody.
The third suspect, Jeffrey Bladimir Valladares Archaga, 20, also a Honduran national, entered the U.S. in 2022 near Calexico, California. He was arrested by Nassau police in July on charges of criminal weapon possession, aggravated unlicensed driving, and operating a vehicle without a license. ICE confirmed that Valladares is also an MS-13 member.
All three individuals have been identified as members of MS-13, a transnational gang known for its ties to violent crimes across the U.S. ICE emphasized that each suspect’s immigration status and criminal history were considered in placing detainers.
Acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons stated that the agency would continue its efforts to locate and remove criminal aliens involved in gang activity, calling the arrests an example of cooperation between federal and local law enforcement.
The investigation is ongoing, and ICE will move to take custody once the suspects’ criminal proceedings in Nassau County conclude.