The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) deported to Honduras Isaias José Rodríguez-Manzanares, identified by US authorities as a member of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang and associated with the Northeast Cartel (CDN), one of the most violent criminal organizations operating on the border between Mexico and the United States.

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the deportation took place on June 20, after the Honduran served a sentence in Texas for a crime related to the possession of controlled substances and received a final deportation order issued by an immigration judge from the Department of Justice.

According to the official chronology, Rodríguez-Manzanares was identified by immigration authorities in January 2024 after being detained by the Irving Police Department for an alcohol violation.

DHS maintains that authorities were aware of his alleged affiliation with MS-13 since then; However, the official statement states that during the administration of then-President Joe Biden, a procedure was not initiated to detain or expel him from the country, an accusation of a political nature included by the US agency itself.

Subsequently, on June 16, 2025, he was arrested again by the Colleyville Police Department on charges of manufacturing or distributing a controlled substance and unlawful carrying of a weapon. Months later, on December 19, 2025, the charges were reclassified and he was ultimately convicted of felony possession of controlled substances, receiving a two-year prison sentence.

After completing that sentence, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice transferred him to ICE custody on May 20, where he remained until an immigration judge issued the final deportation order on June 2. The expulsion was carried out days later to Honduras.

The acting undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Lauren Bis, highlighted the performance of immigration and state authorities during the process.

"Thanks to ICE law enforcement, this illegal alien, a member of MS-13 and associated with a cartel, is outside our country. The cooperation of Texas authorities with ICE made it possible to remove a threat to public safety from the communities," the official stated.

Despite the announcement, the DHS did not publicly detail the nature of Rodríguez-Manzanares' alleged links with the Northeast Cartel, an organization dedicated to drug trafficking, human trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, money laundering and arms trafficking, in addition to exerting influence in the border area of ​​Nuevo Laredo, one of the main commercial crossings between Mexico and the United States.