USCIS Screening Leads to Arrest of MS-13 Member Who Confessed to Five Murders
Published Feb 3, 2026
DHS says USCIS identified an extensive criminal history while reviewing the asylum and work authorization applications of Edwin Antonio Hernandez Hernandez, a Salvadoran national, leading ICE to arrest him in Alexandria, Virginia. The arrest occurred weeks before Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger's executive order ending state cooperation with ICE took effect.
Key points
- USCIS reviewed asylum and work authorization applications filed by Hernandez and found an extensive criminal history and unlawful immigration status.
- ICE arrested Hernandez, 27, at a USCIS appointment in Alexandria, Virginia, after coordination between the two agencies.
- Hernandez entered the United States illegally in 2015 as an unaccompanied minor at age 16 and was ordered removed by an immigration judge in 2017.
- While in custody he admitted to being an MS-13 member and confessed to five murders committed in El Salvador.
- Despite the removal order, DHS says Hernandez was later granted asylum-related protection and a work permit during the Biden administration.
- DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin criticized Governor Spanberger's executive order ending Virginia's cooperation with ICE, noting it took effect about two and a half weeks after Hernandez's arrest.
Who is affected
The release concerns a specific enforcement case involving a Salvadoran national with a removal order, and comments on state-level cooperation policies with ICE in Virginia.
Full text
The complete official text was archived on this site on 2026-10-13. It stays available here even if the source link changes or is removed.
News release originally published by the Department of Homeland Security.
MS-13 Gang Member Who Confessed to 5 Murders Arrested Just Weeks Before Spanberger Ended ICE Cooperation
Release Date
02/03/2026
7 of the 10 safest cities in the U.S. work with ICE law enforcement
WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services was instrumental in the apprehension of an MS-13 gang member and confessed murderer in Virginia just weeks before Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger took office and ended the state’s cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Through rigorous screening and vetting of his applications for asylum and work authorization in the United States, USCIS identified Edwin Antonio Hernandez Hernandez’s extensive criminal history and illegal status. USCIS officials coordinated with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which resulted in ICE swiftly arresting Hernandez, 27, of El Salvador, at a USCIS appointment in Alexandria.
“This self-admitted MS-13 gang member who confessed to five savage murders in El Salvador—including the live dismemberment of one victim—is now off our streets because of DHS law enforcement. These are the criminals that Virginia’s new Governor Spanberger is protecting with her executive order halting cooperation with ICE,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Governor Spanberger’s actions have made Virginians less safe. Seven of the 10 safest cities in the U.S. cooperate with ICE. We need cooperation to get criminals out of our communities.”
Newly sworn-in Spanberger signed an executive order that local and state law enforcement are no longer required to cooperate with ICE, repealing an order from her Republican predecessor, Gov. Glenn Youngkin. ICE arrested Hernandez two and a half weeks before Spanberger’s executive order took effect.
Hernandez illegally entered the United States in 2015 as an unaccompanied minor at age 16. After his arrest by U.S. Border Patrol, an immigration judge ordered his removal in 2017. While in custody, Hernandez admitted to being an MS-13 member and confessed to murdering five people in El Salvador through shooting, torturing, stabbing, and dismemberment.
Despite these admissions and a removal order, Hernandez brazenly preyed on the generosity of the American people and applied for asylum and then work authorization. The Biden administration disregarded his violent criminal history, handing him a work permit and setting a known killer loose on America’s streets. Furthermore, a Biden Administration judge allowed him to stay in the United States, claiming he required protection from torture in his home country—a deeply ironic decision given that he was the perpetrator of violence, torture, and murder against his victims.
Americans can see more public safety threats arrested in their communities on the webpage wow.dhs.gov.
02/03/2026
Original title: MS-13 Gang Member Who Confessed to 5 Murders Arrested Just Weeks Before Spanberger Ended ICE Cooperation
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