{"id":2422013,"date":"2025-04-10T10:54:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T14:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-moves-to-deport-alleged-ms-13-leader-instead-of-prosecute\/"},"modified":"2025-04-10T10:55:48","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T14:55:48","slug":"doj-moves-to-deport-alleged-ms-13-leader-instead-of-prosecute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-moves-to-deport-alleged-ms-13-leader-instead-of-prosecute\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ moves to deport alleged MS-13 leader instead of prosecute"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdoj-moves-to-deport-alleged-ms-13-leader-instead-of-prosecute%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2422013&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Department of Justice (DOJ) has decided to drop the prosecution of Henrry Villatoro Santos, an alleged leader of the MS-13 gang, opting rather to pursue his deportation. This decision came after DOJ attorneys presented their case to a judge in Virginia. Santos was previously arrested in Northern Virginia and was alleged to be among the top leaders of MS-13 in the United States. Following a press conference where this arrest was publicly highlighted, the DOJ announced the shift from criminal charges to deportation. Attorney General ashley Moody stated that Santos, characterized as a terrorist, would undergo the removal process. This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/russia-slows-twitter-wont-block-platform-yet\/\" title=\"Russia Slows Twitter, Won\u2019t Block Platform Yet\">move raised concern<\/a>, particularly from Santos&#8217;s attorney, who argued for his right to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">due process amid prior public scrutiny<\/a> of the case. Initially, Santos faced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-president-trump-gives-pardons-to-73-individuals-and-commutes-another-70-sentences-steve-bannon-is-included\/\" title=\"BREAKING: President Trump Gives Pardons to 73 Individuals and Commutes Another 70 Sentences \u2013 Steve Bannon Is Included\">firearm violation<\/a> charges along with evidence linking him to MS-13 and illegal weapons found at his residence.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">DOJ moves to deport alleged MS-13 leader instead of prosecute<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2087659\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Department of Justice attorneys told a judge in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/virginia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Virginia\">Virginia<\/a> on Wednesday evening that they wanted to drop a case they brought against the alleged East Coast leader of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/can-you-guess-which-judge-protected-hillary-by-delaying-release-of-15k-of-her-emails-until-after-the-2016-election\/\" title=\"Can You Guess Which Judge Protected Hillary by Delaying Release of 15k of Her Emails Until After the 2016 Election?\">violent transnational gang<\/a>, rather than move forward with prosecuting him.<\/p>\n<p>The move came after top DOJ officials held a large press conference last month alongside Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3360784\/top-ms-13-gang-member-arrested-northern-virginia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">draw attention<\/a> to Henrry Villatoro Santos&rsquo;s arrest in a Northern Virginia suburb. They alleged at the time that he was one of the top three leaders in the country of the MS-13 gang.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3375986\/biden-administration-impropriety-alleged-assistance-fbi-investigation-trump-tiana-lowe-doescher\/\">Biden administration &#8216;impropriety&#8217; on display in alleged assistance of FBI investigation of Trump: Tiana Lowe Doescher<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3375646\/supreme-court-temporarily-allows-firings-independent-agency\/\">Supreme Court temporarily allows firings of two independent agency appointees<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3375030\/judges-block-alien-enemies-act-deportations\/\">Judges temporarily block Alien Enemies Act deportations in dual cases<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>After the revelation of his case dismissal, Bondi said she planned to seek his deportation in a statement provided to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;&ldquo;As a terrorist, he will now face the removal process,&rdquo; Bondi said.<\/p>\n<p>During the press conference, Bondi had said that &ldquo;anything you can associate with MS-13, he was the leader over it, all of the violent crimes.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3360784\/top-ms-13-gang-member-arrested-northern-virginia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">TOP MS-13 GANG SUSPECTED ARRESTED IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>However, the attorney general also noted that he would &ldquo;not be living in our country much longer,&rdquo; suggesting deportation was an alternative to prosecution.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors initially charged Santos with a firearm violation and Bondi had warned in a television interview that more charges were coming. Prosecutors also said authorities found &ldquo;indicia of MS-13 association&rdquo; in his home, along with illegal weapons.<\/p>\n<p>The abrupt shift to seeking Santos&rsquo;s deportation instead of moving forward with seeking a conviction of gang-related charges raised eyebrows among some, including Santos&rsquo;s attorney.<\/p>\n<p>In an unusual move, the attorney objected to his client&rsquo;s case dismissal and instead said he should be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/brooklyn-center-city-manager-fired-after-calling-for-due-process-in-duane-wright-shooting\/\" title=\"Brooklyn Center City Manager Fired After Calling For Due Process In Duane Wright Shooting\">afforded due process<\/a> after the &ldquo;massive publicity&rdquo; about the case.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2087659\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2087659\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DOJ opts for deportation of alleged MS-13 leader over prosecution<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":2422014,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/AP25043811900236-1.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[33010,6184,7076,36382,12411],"class_list":["post-2422013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-criminal-justice","tag-deportation","tag-doj","tag-immigration-policy","tag-ms-13"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/AP25043811900236-1.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2422013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2422013"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2422013\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2422017,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2422013\/revisions\/2422017"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2422014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2422013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2422013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2422013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}