ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) office in Boston confirmed the deportation of Wilmer Alexi Garcia-Manzanarez, a Salvadoran national identified as a leader of the MS-13 gang and wanted in his country for serious crimes, including homicide and terrorist affiliation. The removal occurred on November 3, when U.S. authorities handed him directly to law enforcement officials in El Salvador.
The case has generated attention among immigrant communities in New England and other states due to the detainee’s criminal history and the multiple illegal entries he managed to make into the United States over two decades.
About Wilmer Alexi Garcia-Manzanarez
Wilmer Alexi Garcia-Manzanarez is considered by Salvadoran authorities to be a high-profile member of MS-13, one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the hemisphere.
Interpol issued a Red Notice against him in January 2020 on charges of homicide and terrorist links related to his activities within the gang structure.
In addition to his record in El Salvador, Wilmer Alexi García-Manzanarez has accumulated convictions in the United States for various crimes, including:
Burglary
Threats or intimidation with a weapon
Driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI)
Property damage
Driving without a license
These convictions placed him in the highest priority category for ICE, which focuses on migrants with criminal records who pose public safety risks.
A history of multiple deportations and illegal re-entries
Official documents, released by ICE, indicate that Wilmer Alexi Garcia-Manzanarez first entered the United States illegally on March 6, 2001, when he was apprehended by the Border Patrol while crossing the border into Canada.
At that time he was granted a notice to appear before an immigration judge, but subsequently remained in the country.
In March 2002, a judge ordered his deportation, but Garcia-Manzanarez refused to leave the United States.
Between 2007 and 2012, ICE succeeded in deporting him on three separate occasions, but the individual re-entered illegally after each removal.
Salvadoran authorities issued an arrest warrant and, in 2020, Interpol issued the Red Notice.
Finally, ICE Boston agents arrested him again on February 18, 2024 in Foxboro, Massachusetts.
The final deportation from Boston
Following the arrest, ERO Boston reactivated the pending deportation order.
On November 3, 2025, Wilmer Alexi Garcia-Manzanarez was removed from the country and handed over directly to Salvadoran authorities.
This was part of a coordinated operation between: ICE ERO Boston, OPLA Boston (ICE Office of Chief Counsel), ICE ERO El Salvador and the SAFE Task Force (Security Alliance for Fugitive Enforcement) unit.
David Wesling, acting director of ICE Boston, stated that the removal represents an increase in security for local residents.
La salida de García-Manzanarez significa que los residentes de Massachusetts están mucho más seguros. Era una amenaza significativa para nuestras comunidades
David Wesling
