In a major announcement made via press release, DHS said that it had managed to detain and deport a notorious illegal alien connected not only to the infamously awful MS-13 gang from El Salvador, but an awful Mexican drug cartel operation known for the immense amount of violence it wreaks.
Revealing as much in the beginning of the press release, the DHS said, “The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) removed an illegal alien MS-13 gang member and cartel associate from the United States.”
Continuing, the statement identified the individual who was involved in the operation and what groups he was connected to, saying, “On June 20, ICE removed Isaias Jose Rodriguez-Manzanares, an illegal alien from Honduras, self-admitted MS-13 gang member, and associate of the Cartel del Noreste drug cartel, to his country of origin.”
While MS-13 is relatively well known as a notoriously violent criminal gang from El Salvador, particularly given President Bukele’s efforts to crush it, the Cartel del Noreste is somewhat less well known. It is, however, just as violent, as it is a splinter group from the very infamous Los Zetas cartel. Known for being even more violent than most cartels, it controls the border city of Nuevo Laredo and generates revenue through extortion, migrant smuggling, and taxing border crossings.
In any case, DHS went on to explain how he had been caught by officials. It said, noting that the police originally nabbed him for a liquor violation, “He was encountered by immigration officials in January 2024 after his arrest by the Irving Police Department for a liquor violation.”
Continuing, it noted that the Biden regime shielded him from deportation despite his known ties to violent smuggling and gang networks, which have since been designated foreign terrorist organizations, saying, “Despite his MS-13 affiliation having been known to authorities, the Biden Administration took no action to detain or remove him from the country.”
Adding to that, it noted how he was caught again and faced some justice this time, with Trump in charge, saying, “On June 16, 2025, Rodriguez-Manzanares was arrested by the Colleyville Police Department for manufacturing or distributing a controlled substance and unlawfully carrying a weapon. On December 19, 2025, the charges were reduced and he was convicted of felony possession of a controlled substance.”
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It then went on to note that, once his sentence was up, he was transferred to ICE custody to be deported. The release said, “He was sentenced to two years in prison. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice transferred Rodriguez-Manzanares into ICE custody on May 20 following the completion of his sentence.”
Commenting on the situation and why it is important, Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said, “Thanks to ICE law enforcement, this criminal illegal alien and MS-13 gang member and cartel associate is OUT of our country.”
Continuing, Bis added, “The Biden administration took no action to detain this criminal illegal alien following his criminal arrests and allowed this gang member to roam free in our communities. Texas law enforcement cooperated with ICE and turned this public safety threat over to us. This is what it looks like when state and local officials cooperate with ICE. It is no coincidence that 7 of the 10 safest cities in the U.S. cooperate with ICE.”