Federal immigration agents in San Diego say they have in custody a man they describe as a machete-wielding MS-13 executioner known by the nickname “the witch.” David Antonio Avilés Pérez, 35, was taken into ICE custody on Wednesday after investigators tracked him down in the city. Salvadoran prosecutors say he was convicted in absentia for a 2014 gang killing and now faces return to his home country to serve a multi-year prison term.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers carried out the arrest, federal officials told the New York Post. Authorities say Avilés Pérez had been living in California and will remain in federal custody while officials process the paperwork needed to send him back to El Salvador.
Convicted In El Salvador
El Salvador’s attorney general’s office says Avilés Pérez and another alleged gang member were convicted in absentia and sentenced to 20 years in prison for a July 2, 2014 homicide in Yucuaiquín, La Unión. According to a statement by the Fiscalía General de la República, prosecutors presented evidence that the suspects followed and shot the victim, and the court imposed the sentence while both defendants remained at large.
Sanctuary Rules And Local Cooperation
Federal officials have repeatedly pointed to California’s limits on local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement when explaining how some suspects stay under the radar. The state’s California Values Act (SB 54), passed in 2017, generally restricts state and local agencies from using their resources for immigration enforcement and creates narrow exceptions for serious crimes. As detailed by California Legislative Information, the law allows cooperation with federal authorities only in specific situations, including certain violent felonies.
What Happens Next
Federal officials told the New York Post that Avilés Pérez is being held in ICE custody while the agency processes the paperwork to coordinate his return to El Salvador so he can serve the 20-year sentence. Salvadoran prosecutors say the conviction stems from the 2014 slaying and that the two defendants were sentenced in their absence.
The arrest in San Diego is poised to intensify local debate over how state sanctuary policies intersect with federal immigration enforcement in cases involving alleged transnational gang violence. Officials have released limited information so far, and this article will be updated as agencies provide additional details.
