{"id":905553,"date":"2026-05-13T08:25:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T13:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/13\/ice-captures-ms-13-gang-member-known-as-the-witch-suspected-in-murder-case\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T08:25:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T13:25:00","slug":"ice-captures-ms-13-gang-member-known-as-the-witch-suspected-in-murder-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/13\/ice-captures-ms-13-gang-member-known-as-the-witch-suspected-in-murder-case\/","title":{"rendered":"ICE Captures MS-13 Gang Member Known as \u2018The Witch,\u2019 Suspected in Murder Case"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

California\u2019s sanctuary law is once again at the center of controversy following the arrest of a feared MS-13 gang member known as \u201cthe witch.\u201d This individual has been apprehended for the second time in the state after previously being detained and released during the Biden administration in 2023.<\/p>\n

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in San Diego have successfully taken David Antonio Aviles Perez, aged 35, into custody. Perez is wanted in El Salvador on charges of aggravated murder. His initial arrest occurred in Monterey, California, last year when he was suspected of wielding a machete in an assault.<\/p>\n

\u201cICE has detained this dangerous illegal alien and MS-13 gang member, who is wanted for murder in El Salvador,\u201d Acting Assistant Department of Homeland Security Secretary Lauren Bis stated last week.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sanctuary policies of Gavin Newsom enabled the release of this gang member after his arrest on charges including assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a controlled substance, and petty theft,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\n

\"David<\/p>\n

\n

David Antonio Aviles Perez is a wanted man in El Salvador, notorious for his involvement with the MS-13 gang, where he is infamously referred to as \u201cthe witch.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

ICE netted one of El Salvador\u2019s most notorious executioners in the same week DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin was sworn in by President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

Aviles Perez is being held pending removal to El Salvador, a contrast to his Biden administration release as an illegal alien alleged to have threatened a California man with a machete in 2023.<\/p>\n

The case has intensified criticism from federal officials of California\u2019s sanctuary law under Newsom, which limits local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Gavin<\/p>\n

\n

DHS has called out California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom and his state\u2019s sanctuary policies for its refusal to empower local police officials to work with federal immigration enforcement officials.<\/span> (Tayfun Coskun\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cReleasing this gang member back into California neighborhoods put American lives at risk,\u201d Bis\u2019 statement concluded. \u201cThanks to President Trump and Secretary Mullin, this murderer is off our streets and will soon be out of our country.\u201d<\/p>\n

El Salvador had sentenced Aviles Perez, known as \u201cla bruja\u201d (\u201cthe witch\u201d), to 20 years in prison for a 2014 gang killing, according to the Salvadoran prosecution\u2019s indictment<\/a> from December, which reported he was alleged to have \u201cshot the victim in the chest, back, and face\u201d and was a known MS-13 gang member.<\/p>\n

Aviles Perez\u2019s criminal violence reportedly continued in California in 2023 after crossing the border at an unknown date. He was alleged to have \u201cswung a machete\u201d at a homeless man at Laguna Grande Park near Monterey State Beach and \u201chid the machete which was later recovered in the Holiday Inn parking lot,\u201d according to the report.<\/p>\n

He was charged and convicted before being released back onto the streets.<\/p>\n

\n

Eric Mack is a writer for Fox News Digital covering breaking news.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

California\u2019s sanctuary law is once again at the center of controversy following the arrest of a feared MS-13 gang member known as \u201cthe witch.\u201d This individual has been apprehended for the second time in the state after previously being detained and released during the Biden administration in 2023. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":905554,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23267,1486],"tags":[7765,6961],"class_list":{"0":"post-905553","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-captures","8":"category-member","9":"tag-captures","10":"tag-member"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=905553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905553\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/905554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=905553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=905553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=905553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}