Mexican Gang Member Mario Torrez-Lopez Arrested After 4 Deportations Since 2016
(NewsNation) — Federal immigration authorities have arrested Mario Torrez-Lopez, a 34-year-old Mexican national and self-admitted member of the Sureños gang, following a targeted enforcement operation last month, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed.
Torrez-Lopez has been deported four times — in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2022 — but repeatedly re-entered the U.S. illegally. ICE says he has maintained ties to the violent gang network while continuing a pattern of criminal behavior across multiple states.
“This individual repeatedly crossed the border, joined a violent gang while incarcerated, and built a track record of crime and disregard for the law,” said Mark Zito, Special Agent in Charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations in Kansas City. “He’s exactly the kind of threat we are determined to find, stop and remove from our communities.”
Torrez-Lopez’s criminal history dates back to 2012, beginning with an arrest in Indianapolis for resisting law enforcement and illegally passing a school bus — resulting in both felony and misdemeanor convictions.
In 2017, after an illegal reentry, he was convicted and served 30 days in federal custody. Just a year later, another reentry led to an 18-month prison sentence. In 2020, he was sentenced to 21 months for a similar offense and placed under three years of supervised release.
After violating those supervision terms, he was returned to federal prison in 2022. While incarcerated, he admitted to joining the Sureños gang, and ICE confirmed that he has maintained gang ties since.
His original removal order has now been reinstated, and he will remain in ICE custody pending further immigration court proceedings.
