ICE Arrests MS-13 Member with Extensive Criminal History Following Virginia County's Non-Cooperation
Guatemalan MS-13 member Mykol Santos-Santos arrested by ICE in Virginia amid background of assault and burglary charges.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) this week apprehended Mykol Santos-Santos, a 25-year-old Guatemalan national and documented MS-13 gang member, in Fairfax, Virginia. According to ICE officials, Santos-Santos is in the country illegally and has an extensive criminal record spanning more than 15 pages. The arrest took place on Monday, during which one ICE officer was injured as Santos-Santos allegedly resisted.
Santos-Santos's criminal history includes:
- Assault and battery
- Burglary
- Credit card fraud
- Trespassing
- Narcotics offenses
- Destruction of property
- Obstruction of justice
- Attempting to elude law enforcement
- Failure to appear in court
- Violating court orders
Over the past three years, ICE reports that Santos-Santos had 16 immigration detainers lodged against him, all of which were unfulfilled by the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. In total, he has been arrested over 30 times by Fairfax County police. ICE officers ultimately conducted an at-large arrest following the repeated refusal by local authorities to honor detainer requests.
“Mykol Santos-Santos is a habitual offender. He is a documented member of a violent criminal gang with a lengthy criminal history and represents an egregious danger to our Virginia communities,” said Russell Hott, Field Office Director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in Washington, D.C. Hott criticized the county’s decision not to cooperate with federal authorities, stating, “We could have worked together with local law enforcement to arrange a safe transfer of custody. Instead, they decided to place politics ahead of public safety, and as a result one of our brave officers was injured.”
Santos-Santos originally entered the United States illegally through Texas in 2014. In 2023, a Department of Justice immigration judge ordered his deportation. ICE maintains it will continue to prioritize public safety by targeting and removing those deemed criminal threats.
The episode underscores ongoing tensions between federal immigration authorities and certain local jurisdictions, especially regarding cooperation with ICE detainer requests. The incident has renewed debate among officials about the balance between local autonomy and federal immigration enforcement, particularly in cases involving alleged violent offenders.