Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials arrested an illegal alien gang leader in New York on Wednesday who is accused of murdering 23 people in Peru.
ICE, which announced the arrest Thursday evening, said that 38-year-old Gianfranco Torres-Navarro was arrested in Endicott, about a 150 miles northwest of New York City.
Torres-Navarro was released into the U.S. by the Biden-Harris administration on May 16 at the Texas-Mexico border after illegally entering the country, the AP reported.
“It should alarm every American that a Peruvian gang leader, who has murdered 23 people, crossed our border and was released into the country,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). “The Biden-Harris Administration’s open border policies are terrorizing our communities.”
Peru confirmed to the AP that it sought international help tracking down and capturing Torres-Navarro on July 3. Peruvian authorities also sought the capture of Mishelle Sol Ivanna Ortíz Ubillús, whom they described as being a key player in his criminal enterprise.
“Gianfranco Torres-Navarro poses a significant threat to our communities, and we won’t allow New York to be a safe haven for dangerous noncitizens,” said ERO Buffalo Field Office Director Thomas P. Brophy in a news release. “Well done by our ERO Buffalo officers who brought this individual into custody.”
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BREAKING: ICE Buffalo arrested a Peruvian gang leader yesterday who is wanted for 23 murders in Peru & was caught and released at the U.S. border in May. Gianfranco Torres-Navarro, leader of “Los Killers”, was arrested by ICE in Endicott, NY, about 145 miles northwest of NYC.… pic.twitter.com/9RzfaggX29
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) August 15, 2024
Peruvian law enforcement officials said that Torres-Navarro was the leader of a criminal organization called “Los Killers,” which specializes in extorting construction companies and contract killings, the report said. He reportedly fled the country after killing a retired police officer and a city official earlier this year.
