Feds: MS-13 Gang Members Exploited Visa Program for Abused Youth
A federal investigation found nearly 19,000 applicants for a visa program protecting vulnerable migrant youth had criminal records, including 120 murder suspects and 500 MS-13 gang members.
Investigators with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service’s Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate disclosed this week that nearly 19,000 applicants for the Special Immigrant Juvenile program possessed criminal records between Fiscal Year 2013 and Fiscal Year 2025. Among them, 120 individuals had been arrested for murder.
The Special Immigrant Juvenile program grants visas to migrant youth who claim to have suffered neglect or abuse. The investigation revealed that at least 200 illegal aliens who received approval for SIJ status were convicted sex offenders, while over 500 were either confirmed or suspected members of the MS-13 gang.
James Percival, General Counsel for the Department of Homeland Security, acknowledged the program’s vulnerability in a statement, noting that while the SIJ initiative serves important congressional purposes, it faces significant fraud risks.
Gang Leaders and Killers Granted Protected Status
USCIS investigators documented several alarming cases of violent criminals who successfully obtained SIJ status. One approved applicant served as a leader of an MS-13 chapter and pleaded guilty to racketeering charges connected to his role in eight murders committed in New York.
In another case, a member of the Trinitarios gang received SIJ status in June 2023 despite his involvement in a drive-by shooting that killed two people and wounded five others. Four members of a Virginia-based MS-13 clique also secured SIJ status before being indicted.
Those four gang members faced indictments in 2023 and 2024 for participation in racketeering conspiracies that included multiple murders. One victim, a 19-year-old woman, was shot 16 times for the sole reason that she had insulted the gang on social media.
The findings underscore deep vulnerabilities in immigration vetting processes and raise serious questions about oversight of programs intended to aid legitimate abuse victims.
With information from Breitbart News
