The Trump adminsitraion has departed Arturo Murillo, Bolivia’s former interior minister, to face charges in his home country, including breach of duty for illegal weapons imports and crimes against humanity for a 2019 protest crackdown that some critics have described as a “massacre.”
For context, he was deported on September 3, 2025, after serving four years in the U.S. for money laundering. Murillo was rearrested by ICE and deported after a failed appeal. Additionally, he faces 13 years in Bolivian prison for convictions related to the purchase of tear gas.
Reacting to the dramatic deportation, Justice Minister Jessica Saravia declared, “We are waiting for him to come and serve the sentences that have been handed down through court proceedings that respect due process.” Building on this point, Minister of Government Roberto Ríos noted, “We do hope that the courts will enforce the sentences.”
As part of the corrupt scheme, Arturo Murillo accepted $602,000 in kickbacks from Florida businessmen, including Bryan and Luis Berkman, to secure a $5.6 million tear gas contract for the Áñez government. He was initially charged with money laundering. Murillo’s actions were part of a scheme involving inflated prices, with only $3.3 million paid to the Brazilian supplier.
As quoted in the lawsuit, Luis Berkman, one of several US businessmen involved in the corrupt dealings, texted, “Help me with the payment, please.” To which Arturo Murillo replied, “We’re all going to meet at the Ministry of Economy at 7:30 tomorrow and the go-ahead will be given.”
Reacting to this shocking case of graft, Kathryn Ledebur, director of the Bolivia-based Andean Information Network, stated, “Murillo became the key force behind the de facto govt’s repression. His arrest is an important message that rampant corruption and abuse cannot be tolerated by the international community.”
As we reported, in a worrying case of anti-ICE violence, two officers were attacked by two illegal aliens, Jose Mendez-Chavez and Francisco Zapata-Pacheco, who attempted to ram them with a vehicle during an immigration raid.
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Describing the scary incident, and ICE spokepersion stated, “Two criminal aliens attempted to ram their vehicle into ICE officers during a targeted enforcement operation in Colorado Springs, Colorado, [on] July 31. As a result of their violent actions and to protect the officers and agents onsite, an officer fired three shots into the vehicle. The aliens fled and later abandoned the vehicle. Law enforcement officials are currently searching for the fugitives.”
Building on these points, the same source addressed the Colorado Rapid Response Network (CRRN), saying,
“It is despicable that Colorado Rapid Response network would show up in defense of an alien who has abused children and attempted to injure our officers. Our brave ICE law enforcement officers are facing an 830% increase in assaults against them as they carry out operations due to the misinformation activist groups spread.”
Turning to one of the men involved in the attack, Jose Mendez-Chavez, the spokesperson said, “Mendez was not an ‘innocent victim’, he is an abuser who plays the system and is now wanted for assault on a federal officer. He knows he’s not supposed to be here, since we’ve removed him six times previously.”