News

ICE announces February arrest of Salvadoran woman in Alexandria

By James Cullum
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement logo (via Facebook)

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced this week the arrest of a 40-year-old Salvadoran woman in Alexandria on Feb. 25.

Silvia Lorana Bonilla-De Jandres was arrested as part of an investigation by the Virginia State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. She was arrested more than a month ago, on the same day that a 41-year-old Salvadoran woman was arrested by ICE in Alexandria.

Russ Hott, the ICE D.C. field office director, said that Bonilla-De Jandres was a member of the MS-13 gang and was wanted for extortion and blackmail.

“Silvia Lorena Bonilla-De Jandres is not only the member of a transnational criminal enterprise known for violence, she has also apparently attempted to flee justice in her home country and hide out in Northern Virginia,” Hott said in a statement. “We will not allow our Washington, D.C. and Virginia communities to become safe havens for the world’s bad actors. ICE Washington, D.C. remains dedicated to our mission of prioritizing public safety and protecting our residents by arresting and removing illegal alien offenders.”

According to ICE:

U.S. Border Patrol arrested Bonilla after she illegally entered the United States, Feb. 21, 2016, near Rio Grande Valley, Texas. USBP placed Bonilla into removal proceedings. Authorities in El Salvador issued a warrant for Bonilla’s arrest, Aug. 28, 2017, charging her with aggravated extortion, blackmail and terrorist affiliation due to her documented MS-13 membership. Interpol issued a red notice for Bonilla, Nov. 24, 2017.

On July 11, 2024, a Department of Justice immigration judge ordered Bonilla removed from the United States to El Salvador.

ICE did not say where Bonilla-De Jandres was arrested or list her current status.

Weeks after immigration raids throughout the region, last month, Alexandria Congressman Don Beyer (D-8) stated they were intended to instill fear and create photo ops for U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

“We must be able to enforce the law and protect the public without creating a climate of fear,” Beyer said.

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.