BALTIMORE, MD—The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed the first human case of New World screwworm in the United States, a flesh-eating parasite previously thought to be eradicated in the country. The patient, a Maryland resident, was diagnosed on August 4 after returning from travel to El Salvador. New World screwworm is a species of parasitic flies […]
BEL AIR, MD—Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus two additional consecutive life sentences and 40 years, for the 2023 rape and murder of Rachel Hannah Morin. The sentencing, delivered by Judge Yolanda L. Curtin, followed a swift conviction in April. A jury found Martinez-Hernandez, an illegal immigrant, guilty of first-degree murder, […]
GREENBELT, MD—Three alleged members of the notorious La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, gang have been charged with racketeering conspiracy, including murder and drug trafficking, following their initial appearance in the District of Maryland on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. According to court documents, Maxwell Ariel Quijano-Casco, 24, of El Salvador; Daniel Isaias Villanueva-Bautista, 19, of El Salvador; and Josue Mauricio Lainez, […]
BALTIMORE, MD—U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested a 20-year-old Salvadoran national and validated MS-13 gang member in Frederick, Maryland, on May 27, marking his fifth apprehension after four previous deportations, ICE officials said. Moises Alberto Figueroa-Bonilla, who is illegally present in the U.S., was taken into custody at his residence, according to ICE. The agency described Figueroa as a threat […]
BALTIMORE, MD—An MS-13 gang member wanted in his home country for firearms offenses was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Maryland last week, according to the agency. Joel Armando Mejia-Benitez, a 38-year-old Salvadoran national, was taken into custody by ICE in Silver Spring on May 5, 2025. Mejia is a documented MS-13 gang member and has a […]
ANNAPOLIS, MD—The Maryland Freedom Caucus on Tuesday slammed calls for the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Maryland. Garcia is a 29-year-old from El Salvador who was deported in March. His case has prompted a legal showdown over immigration policy in the United States. The Supreme Court has ruled that Garcia was wrongly deported and that the Trump administration should […]
BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen (D) is traveling to El Salvador on Wednesday to advocate for the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration in an admitted “administrative error.” Abrego Garcia, who has been detained in El Salvador’s notorious CECOT maximum security prison, was ordered by U.S. federal courts to be […]
UPDATE: Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez has been sentenced to life in prison without parole. Original story below… BEL AIR, MD—Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was found guilty of first-degree murder, rape, and other charges on Monday for the brutal slaying of 37-year-old Rachel Morin in Bel Air, Maryland, in August 2023. A jury reached the verdict in […]