DETROIT – U.S. Border Patrol agents made a significant arrest of two illegal aliens from El Salvador over the weekend, according to a press release from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. One of the men admitted to being a member of Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and spent time in a Salvadorian prison for murder, the release stated.

Agents assigned to the U.S. Border Patrol’s Detroit Station responded to a request for assistance from law enforcement partners in Sterling Heights, Michigan, who were holding two men involved in an altercation at a local motel on Sunday.

Record checks revealed that both subjects were illegally present in the United States. During interviews, one of the men admitted to being a member of MS-13, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. The man claimed to have served 20 years in a Salvadoran prison for the murder of a rival gang member.

Local authorities in Detroit also seized just over five grams of crystal methamphetamine found during the incident, the release stated.

“This is a major win for the U.S. Border Patrol and the safety of our communities,” said Detroit Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Javier Geronimo Jr. “This arrest is a clear example of how agents and our law enforcement partners are protecting our towns by removing violent criminals from our country.”

Both men are being processed for removal from the United States, the release stated.