Man Busted by ICE on First Day of School on Long Island was ‘MS-13 fugitive’: Feds; ICE Arrests Suspected MS-13 Gang Member Who was Living 'just steps' Away from Middle School: Perez was Wanted by Interpol for Multiple Alleged Crimes in El Salvador

Man busted by ICE on first day of school on Long Island was ‘MS-13 fugitive’: feds

An El Salvador man arrested by federal immigration agents outside of a Long Island high school was an MS-13 fugitive wanted by authorities in El Salvador, officials claimed.

The Sept. 3 arrest of Jaime Manuel Perez at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement outside his son’s school in Brentwood sparked backlash from activists — but federal authorities later said he was actually an international fugitive wanted on charges of extortion and threats to injure a person in his native country.

“This alleged MS-13 associate resided mere feet from school property and went about his life virtually unchecked and consequence-free — until his past finally caught up with him,” Homeland Security Special Agent in Charge Ricky Patel said.

Perez was described as a Salvadoran national flagged by Interpol with a Red Notice. 

He had first been apprehended crossing the US border in Texas in 2019, placed in removal proceedings, and had a hearing scheduled for February 2026, according to ICE.

Perez does not appear to have a criminal record in the US, and remained in ICE custody pending his removal from the country.

But friends denied Perez was any gang member.

“Jaime was arrested after dropping off his youngest son at Brentwood High School on the first day of school,” said Kaylen Pentaleon, Perez’s neighbor. --->READ MORE HERE

Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images

ICE arrests suspected MS-13 gang member who was living 'just steps' away from middle school:

Jamie Manual Perez Perez was wanted by Interpol for multiple alleged crimes in El Salvador

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested a suspected MS-13 gang member in New York who officials said was living "just steps" away from a middle school.

Jamie Manual Perez Perez, 42, was taken into custody on Sept. 3 in Brentwood by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the agency announced Tuesday.

"This alleged MS-13 associate resided mere feet from school property and went about his life virtually unchecked and consequence-free – until his past finally caught up with him," HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Ricky Patel said in a statement.

Perez Perez, a Salvadorean national, was "wanted by Interpol and had a Red Notice for aggravated extortion and threat to injure a person – charges stemming from crimes he allegedly committed in his home country," according to ICE.

Officials said Perez Perez initially was taken into custody by the Border Patrol in El Paso, Texas, in April 2019, after illegally entering the U.S.

"Border Patrol officials issued him a notice to appear, and he was subsequently placed in removal proceedings, with an individual hearing scheduled for February 2026," ICE said. --->READ MORE HERE

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