U.S. authorities arrested a top leader of the MS-13 gang in Virginia on Thursday morning, marking an important success in the nationwide effort to stop violent criminal groups. Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos, a 24-year-old illegal migrant, was taken into custody on weapons charges during a raid in Prince William County, about 23 miles from Washington, D.C., according to the New York Post.

Law enforcement officials said Villatoro is one of the top leaders behind MS-13's violent crimes along the East Coast. His arrest was part of a large operation led by a new FBI task force, which has already caught 340 illegal migrant criminals this month. The task force started on March 3 and includes the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Virginia State Police, and the Prince William County Police Department.

FBI Director Kash Patel praised the operation, saying it has been successful in bringing back law and order. "This is what happens when you let good cops be cops," Patel said at a press conference. He also credited the leadership of Attorney General Pam Bondi, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin for their coordinated efforts. "The arrest of an MS-13 leader this morning is a critical victory for law enforcement and a strong message to violent gangs: your days of terrorising our communities are numbered," he told the New York Post.

Authorities found Villatoro after watching his mother’s home in Woodbridge. According to court documents, an FBI SWAT team entered the house through both the front and back doors. They discovered Villatoro hiding in a small space near the garage. When he refused to surrender, agents used a stun grenade before arresting him. A search of his bedroom in the garage revealed multiple weapons, including a Taurus G2C 9mm handgun, three other firearms, ammunition, and two silencers.  Attorney General Bondi emphasised how serious Villatoro's involvement with MS-13 was. "Make no mistake--he was one of the top leaders, heading up all MS-13 violent crimes on the East Coast. He was responsible for heinous acts, and he should never have been in this country," she stated.

Governor Youngkin reaffirmed Virginia's opposition to sanctuary policies and cautioned that communities were in peril when local governments refused to work with federal authorities. "Look who's in your community. Look who's living around the corner from citizens that are going to work, trying to build their lives in a place that's the best place in America to live and work and raise a family," Youngkin said. 

He declared that Virginia would not put up with sanctuary cities' policies of harbouring dangerous offenders. "We are working to get the bad guys out of here, and if you are a local jurisdiction and not helping us and not cooperating with us, you are working against the safety of all of those men and women that call your jurisdiction home." Youngkin further warned that "if counties don't operate with ICE, we'll defund them" if they fail to cooperate with ICE enforcement. As an illustration of a jurisdiction that has opposed working with federal immigration agents, he cited Fairfax County. Bondi referred to Villatoro as "the worst of the worst" and connected the arrest to larger initiatives started during the administration of US President Donald Trump.

"President Trump's directive to me when I became Attorney General was to keep America safe and make America safe again," she stated. "We didn't need new laws, as President Trump said, we needed a new president." Erik Siebert, the Eastern District of Virginia's acting US attorney, emphasised the tough stance being taken against criminal organisations. "In less than a month, we have arrested 340 suspects," he said. "To the criminals, all I have to say is, 'we're coming.'"

MS-13, a violent gang that started in Los Angeles in the 1980s, was founded by Salvadoran immigrants. It has been linked to many crimes, including murders, kidnappings and drug-related activities, especially in places like Washington, DC, California, and Long Island, New York. During his time in office, President Trump officially labeled MS-13 as a terrorist group. Long Island has been hit particularly hard by the gang's violence.

In Suffolk County, areas like Brentwood have seen brutal attacks. One tragic case was the 2016 murder of teenagers Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens. Prosecutors said MS-13 members killed them with baseball bats and machetes because they believed the girls had disrespected them on social media. Jairo Saens, a top gang leader involved in the crime, was sentenced to 60 years in prison earlier this year. 

New York local law enforcement officials have shown a great desire to establish a task force akin to Virginia's. Ray Tierney, the district attorney for Suffolk County, said he would be happy to have federal assistance in the fight against gang violence.

 "Because of the violent history of MS-13 on Long Island, law enforcement in Nassau and Suffolk counties have been working with our state and federal partners all along," he said. "If our federal partners want to expand, it's a great idea, and we hope that it would bring funding, which would allow us to do more to combat these dangerous gangs." Anne Donnelly, the district attorney for Nassau County, also asked New York Governor Kathy Hochul to think about launching a similar program and demanded more robust federal engagement. "Gov. Hochul should be open to a conversation about having a gang task force here. I support it. We should do everything in our power to take down these gangs," she said, as per reports by the New York Post. 

A representative for the FBI confirmed that the success of the Virginia task force would serve as a model for other states: "With Governor Youngkin setting the standard, we're now taking this model nationwide to restore law and order in communities across America." "This task force proves what's possible when strong leadership meets real collaboration. In just four weeks, we took down 342 criminals in Virginia by uniting state, local, and federal resources--backed by DOJ and driven by AG Pam Bondi's vision," the spokesperson said.

The most recent operation comes after Francisco Javier Roman-Bardales, a fugitive MS-13 member who was previously on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list, was apprehended last week. Bondi reiterated the government's commitment to breaking up the gang. "MS-13 is one of the most dangerous gangs in our country, and we are going to fight until they are completely dismantled," she stated.