Alleged MS-13 leader asks judge for delay after DOJ moves to dismiss case

A Salvadoran antheral alleged by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to beryllium a apical person of the MS-13 pack is asking a justice not to disregard a transgression lawsuit against him, contempt the Justice Department earlier Wednesday seeking to extremity the lawsuit successful favour of deporting him retired of the U.S.

Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos, who is alleged to beryllium successful the U.S. illegally, is asking a magistrate justice successful the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to hold the dismissal due to the fact that helium fears the U.S. authorities would instantly determination to deport him to El Salvador's CECOT situation without an accidental for owed process.

Villatoro Santos was arrested astatine a residence successful Virginia connected March 27 successful a highly-publicized early-morning operation. After helium was taken into custody connected an outstanding migration administrative warrant, a hunt of his country turned up weapons and "indicia of MS-13 association," according to an affidavit from a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.

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Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel were successful attendance during the aboriginal greeting raid. At a property league aboriginal that time Bondi said the antheral arrested successful the cognition was "one of the apical leaders of MS-13" and the "leader of the East Coast" for the gang. "He volition not beryllium surviving successful our state overmuch longer," she added.

Villatoro Santos was charged successful national tribunal with amerciable firearm possession and was ordered detained pending trial.

On Wednesday morning, the authorities filed a terse question seeking to disregard the case. The mentation offered was simple, but lacked detail. "The authorities nary longer wishes to prosecute the instant prosecution astatine this time," the question said.

"As a terrorist, helium volition present look the removal process," Bondi said successful a connection connected Wednesday.

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That led to the peculiar condition of the defendant, Villatoro Santos, asking the tribunal not to instantly extremity the case.

"The information of Mr. Villatoro Santos being unlawfully deported by ICE without owed process and removed to El Salvador, wherever helium would astir surely beryllium instantly detained astatine 1 of the worst prisons successful the satellite without immoderate close to contention his removal, is substantial, some successful airy of the Government's caller actions and the precise nationalist pronouncements successful this peculiar case," wrote his attorney, Muhammad Elsayed, successful a question to hold the dismissal for 2 weeks.

Elsayed noted that helium was "keenly alert of the antithetic nature" of the motion.

"But these are antithetic times," helium wrote, asking the tribunal to hold the introduction of immoderate dismissal bid for 2 weeks to let Villatoro Santos capable clip to question assistance from migration counsel.

Alleged MS-13 person asks justice for hold aft DOJ moves to disregard lawsuit primitively appeared connected abcnews.go.com