WASHINGTON — Three MS-13 gang members, two of whom illegally entered the U.S. during the Biden administration, were arrested in Nassau County following a joint operation on August 8 involving ICE New York City, the FBI, and Nassau County Police. All three men face serious charges, including attempted murder, gang assault, and weapons possession.
ICE has filed immigration detainers against all suspects and plans to assume custody once they are released by the state.
“America is no longer a dumping ground for foreign criminals and gang members,” stated acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons. “We will continue to remove MS-13 and other violent offenders from our communities.”
One of the suspects, Elias Wilfredo Serrano Bonilla, 21, from El Salvador, entered the country illegally prior to December 2016. He was previously arrested in 2020 on charges of first-degree assault and gang assault. On August 8, 2025, he was arrested again and now faces:
8 counts of attempted murder
1 count of first-degree assault with a weapon
2 counts of armed first-degree robbery
1 count of gang assault causing serious injury
Multiple counts of conspiracy, robbery, assault, and weapons possession
Serrano remains in Nassau County custody.
Another gang member, Edras Daniel Velasquez Giron, 19, from Honduras, illegally crossed into the U.S. before June 2022. A removal order was issued against him in September 2023. On August 8, 2025, he was charged with:
6 counts of attempted murder
Multiple counts of assault, gang assault, conspiracy, and weapons possession
ICE is continuing to investigate the suspects’ ties to other criminal activities. Authorities say their arrests are part of an ongoing effort to dismantle violent transnational gangs operating within U.S. borders.
