Attorneys for a Virginia man labeled by the Trump administration as a top MS-13 gang leader are pressing a judge to hold off on dismissing his criminal case, arguing he could be deported without ever hearing — or defending himself against — the specific allegations against him.
Henrry Villatoro Santos’ arrest was announced last month in a nationally televised news conference featuring the attorney general, who accused Villatoro Santos of being the “East Coast leader” of the infamous MS-13 transnational gang. He was accused of responsibility for violent crimes and helping lead the gang’s criminal attacks throughout the U.S.
Villatoro Santos’ criminal case has morphed into a unique paradox: Justice Department prosecutors want his case dismissed. And it’s Villatoro Santos fighting to keep his case alive.