ERO Boston arrests Salvadoran gang member charged with assault, battery in Nantucket

NANTUCKET, Mass. - Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston apprehended an unlawfully present 30-year-old Salvadoran gang member charged with disorderly conduct and two counts of assault and battery on a household member. Officers with ERO Boston arrested Angel Gabriel Deras-Mejia, a documented member of MS-13, Sept. 12 in Nantucket.

"Angel Gabriel Deras-Mejia unlawfully entered the United States then made his way to Massachusetts, to apparently commit crimes of violence," said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons. "To make matters worse, Deras-Mejia is a documented member of a notorious transnational criminal organization and represents a significant threat to the residents of Nantucket. ERO Boston will continue to prioritize the safety of our public by aggressively apprehending and removing such threats from our New England communities."

Deras-Mejia unlawfully entered the United States on an unknown date, at an unknown location, without being inspected, admitted or paroled by a U.S. immigration official.

Nantucket police arrested Deras-Mejia Aug. 26 and charged him with two counts of assault and battery on a household member and disorderly conduct.

Officers with ERO Boston arrested Deras-Mejia Sept. 12 in Nantucket. He remains in ERO custody.

ERO conducts removals of individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States, including at the order of immigration judges with Department of Justice's Executive Office for Immigration Review. The Executive Office for Immigration Review is a separate entity from the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case, determining if a noncitizen is subject to a final order of removal or eligible for certain forms of relief from removal.

As one of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's three operational directorates, ERO is the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO's mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency's detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO's workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas postings, and multiple temporary duty travel assignments along the border.

Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

Learn more about ICE's mission to increase public safety in our New England communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @EROBoston.