(DCWatchdog.com) – In a major win for border security, Mexican authorities captured the FBI’s most wanted terrorist and deadly fugitive, Francisco Javier Román-Bardales.
The El Salvadoran gang kingpin, designated a terrorist under President Trump’s administration, faces charges of narco-terrorism, alien smuggling, and supporting terrorism.
This arrest comes as a blow to MS-13’s operations and marks a rare victory in the ongoing border crisis.
Mexican authorities apprehended Román-Bardales, also known as “Veterano de Tribus,” on the Teocelo-Baxtla highway in Veracruz.
Mexico’s Defense Ministry, Navy, Attorney General’s Office, National Guard, and Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection coordinated the capture.
Román-Bardales will be transferred to Mexico City before being deported to the United States, where American justice awaits.
The MS-13 gang, which originated in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s by Salvadoran aliens fleeing civil war, has grown into a transnational threat.
Under the Trump administration, MS-13 was rightfully designated as a terrorist organization, acknowledging the grave danger these criminals pose to American communities nationwide.
Román-Bardales had been placed on the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list with a $250,000 reward offered for information leading to his capture.
His criminal activities spanned across the United States, Mexico, and El Salvador, including drug distribution, extortion, and ordering violent acts.
The timing of this arrest is significant, as it follows Mexico’s recent transfer of 29 alleged drug cartel suspects to the United States.
While this cooperation should be the norm, it represents a sharp contrast to the past administration’s lax border policies that have allowed dangerous criminals like Román-Bardales to operate with virtual impunity across our southern border.
The MS-13 organization has been responsible for countless violent crimes throughout American communities, terrorizing citizens and legal aliens alike.
Their activities highlight the urgent need for stronger border security and immigration enforcement that prioritizes American safety over open border policies that benefit criminal organizations.
Mexican authorities emphasized their commitment to fighting violence through coordinated efforts, stating these actions were “aimed at capturing individuals responsible for generating violence.”
As Román-Bardales awaits deportation to face American justice, this arrest stands as evidence that when authorities prioritize the capture of violent criminals, results follow.
The question remains whether this will become the standard practice or remain the exception in an era of unprecedented illegal immigration and criminal activity at our southern border.
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