BELLEFONTE, PA – A suspected MS-13 gang member and a convicted felon were among 24 illegal immigrants arrested by ICE during a targeted enforcement operation near Interstate 99 in Central Pennsylvania on Monday.
Oscar Alexis Martinez-Lopez, a Salvadoran national suspected of belonging to the notoriously violent MS-13 gang and wanted in El Salvador for homicide, was taken into custody alongside Delfin Amaya-Peres, a Honduran citizen previously convicted of assault, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. The arrests were part of a wider ICE operation focused on immigration law violators temporarily residing in the Bellefonte area.
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Philadelphia launched the action after an investigation identified multiple subjects suspected of violating U.S. immigration laws. Officers intercepted the individuals during coordinated traffic stops after they were observed leaving the target location.
Among those arrested were seven individuals under final orders of removal — including four who had been previously expelled under Title 42 but reentered the U.S. illegally. ICE officials say four of those removal orders were reinstated following this week’s arrests.
Federal immigration authorities confirmed that one of the arrested individuals has a confirmed conviction for assault, while another is tied to MS-13 and has a homicide arrest on record in El Salvador.
ERO Philadelphia Field Office Director Brian McShane emphasized the agency’s continued focus on apprehending individuals who pose a threat to public safety. He also reaffirmed ICE’s authority to arrest individuals based solely on their unlawful presence in the country.
The 24 individuals remain in ICE custody pending further immigration proceedings.