7 of the 10 safest cities in the U.S. work with ICE law enforcement

WASHINGTON - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) was instrumental in the apprehension of an MS-13 gang member and confessed murderer in Virginia just weeks before Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger took office and ended the state's cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Through rigorous screening and vetting of his applications for asylum and work authorization in the United States, USCIS identified Edwin Antonio Hernandez Hernandez's extensive criminal history and illegal status. USCIS officials coordinated with ICE, which resulted in ICE swiftly arresting Hernandez, 27, of El Salvador, at a USCIS appointment in Alexandria.

"This self-admitted MS-13 gang member who confessed to five savage murders in El Salvador-including the live dismemberment of one victim-is now off our streets because of DHS law enforcement. These are the criminals that Virginia's new governor is protecting with her executive order halting cooperation with ICE," said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. "Governor Spanberger's actions have made Virginians less safe. 7 of the 10 safest cities in the U.S. cooperate with U.S. We need cooperation to get criminals out of our communities."

Newly sworn-in Governor Spanberger signed an executive order that local and state law enforcement are no longer required to cooperate with ICE, repealing an order from her Republican predecessor, Governor Glenn Youngkin. ICE arrested Hernandez two and a half weeks before Spanberger's executive order took effect.

Hernandez illegally entered the United States in 2015 as an unaccompanied minor at age 16. After his arrest by U.S. Border Patrol, an immigration judge ordered his removal in 2017. While in custody, Hernandez admitted to being an MS-13 member and confessed to murdering five people in El Salvador through shooting, torturing, stabbing, and dismemberment.

Despite these admissions and a removal order, Hernandez brazenly preyed on the generosity of the American people and applied for asylum and then work authorization. The Biden administration disregarded his violent criminal history, handing him a work permit and setting a known killer loose on America's streets. Furthermore, a Biden administration judge allowed him to stay in the United States, claiming he required protection from torture in his home country-a deeply ironic decision given that he was the perpetrator of violence, torture, and murder against his victims.

Americans can see more public safety threats arrested in their communities on the webpage wow.dhs.gov.

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