A previously deported MS-13 gang member, Gabriel Alexis Soza-Cruz, was apprehended by Border Patrol agents on Friday afternoon, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The El Salvadoran, who entered the country near Lukeville, was previously deported in June for immigration violations after a conviction for larceny in Virginia.
Soza-Cruz was arrested by Border Patrol agents assigned to the Casa Grande station.
Soza-Cruz was part of a group, consisting of five foreign nationals from Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador. Three of the men in the group had also been previously deported. All of the men will be held in custody and processed for immigration violations.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), during processing, agents determined that the 19-year-old Soza-Cruz was “affiliated with the dangerous MS-13 gang.”