Ice nabs border crossing ms-18 gang member in virginia after prior deportation

STERLING, Va. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have arrested a previously deported Salvadoran national and documented 18th Street Gang member in Northern Virginia, officials confirmed.

Walter Bladimir Lopez-Ayala was taken into custody on Feb. 20 in Sterling by ICE Washington, D.C.’s Fugitive Operations Team. Authorities say Lopez-Ayala had reentered the United States illegally after his removal in 2020.

“Walter Bladimir Lopez-Ayala is exactly the kind of individual that ICE works to arrest and remove,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington, D.C. Field Office Director Russell Hott. “Mr. Lopez has no benevolent reason for being in the country and represents a threat to the residents of our Northern Virginia communities.”

Lopez-Ayala was originally arrested by U.S. Border Patrol on April 7, 2016, near the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, after crossing into the country unlawfully. A Justice Department immigration judge ordered his removal on Jan. 16, 2020, and he was deported to El Salvador on Jan. 29 of the same year.

Authorities say Lopez-Ayala reentered the U.S. at an unknown time and location without inspection or authorization. Between May 2023 and January 2025, he was charged and convicted of multiple offenses, including public intoxication and traffic violations.

ICE has not released information on any new federal charges Lopez-Ayala may face for illegal reentry.

Key Points

ICE arrested a previously deported 18th Street Gang member in Sterling, Virginia on Feb. 20.
Walter Bladimir Lopez-Ayala was removed from the U.S. in 2020 but reentered unlawfully at an unknown time.
He was convicted of several offenses between 2023 and 2025 before being taken into custody.

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