BALTIMORE — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 26-year-old Salvadoran national Nelson Vladimir Amaya-Benitez in Gaithersburg on Monday following a string of criminal convictions and multiple detainer requests that were declined by local authorities.
Amaya, a validated member of the MS-13 gang, has been convicted of robbery, vehicle theft, second-degree malicious burning, and other offenses in Texas and Maryland. ICE stated that Amaya reentered the country illegally after being removed in 2019 and continued to commit crimes while eluding immigration enforcement due to detainers not being honored.
“The arrest of this criminal alien MS-13 gang member is yet another stark reminder of the dangers posed when our immigration laws are not enforced,” said ICE Baltimore Acting Field Office Director Nikita Baker. “ICE lodged five detainers — four of which were not honored — allowing him to return to the streets and reoffend time and time again.”
Amaya was first apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol near Hidalgo, Texas, on Feb. 3, 2016, and was later convicted in Dallas for marijuana possession and unauthorized use of a vehicle. After serving time, he was arrested for robbery in Rockville, Maryland, in 2017 and sentenced to 10 years, with all but 18 months suspended.
A Department of Justice immigration judge ordered Amaya removed from the U.S. on Aug. 13, 2019. He was deported to El Salvador on Aug. 28, 2019. His illegal reentry occurred at an unknown location and time, and he resumed criminal activity in Montgomery County soon after.
Detainers repeatedly declined by Montgomery County Detention Center
In August 2022, ICE lodged a detainer on Amaya following a local arrest, but the Montgomery County Detention Center released him the same day. He was convicted of theft in July 2023, but his sentence was fully suspended. In May 2023, he was arrested again for motor vehicle theft and convicted in August, receiving five years with all but 18 months suspended.
ICE issued a new detainer on the date of that conviction, but Amaya was again released. He was also arrested in May 2023 for second-degree malicious burning and sentenced to 18 months. An additional ICE detainer lodged in October 2023 was similarly declined.
According to ICE, these repeated releases allowed Amaya to continue criminal behavior across multiple jurisdictions. His May 12 arrest is the result of targeted enforcement by ICE’s Baltimore field office.