Federal immigration authorities recently detained a man identified as a wanted fugitive from El Salvador, concluding a targeted operation on Marco Island, Florida. Officials say the arrest was part of ongoing nationwide efforts to remove individuals with outstanding criminal warrants abroad.

According to reports, 29-year-old Cristian Alberto Rivas-Escalante was taken into custody in mid-June while working at a job site on Marco Island. He is one of thousands of noncitizens currently being prioritized for removal under President Donald Trump’s broad immigration enforcement directives.

Marco Island Police Captain David Ennis emphasized that federal agents arrived in the area with a single objective. In a statement emailed to local media and posted on the department’s social channels, Ennis clarified that rumors of a community-wide immigration raid were unfounded. “ICE came to the Island to locate and arrest an individual with an outstanding fugitive warrant,” he wrote. “Agents were specifically focused on locating one individual who was working in the area due to his past criminal activity.”

Mike Meares, public affairs officer for ICE in Tampa, confirmed that Rivas-Escalante had been living somewhere in Southwest Florida at the time of his arrest. Meares oversees matters related to Homeland Security Investigations, Enforcement and Removal Operations, and was present on Marco Island during the operation.

According to Meares, Rivas-Escalante entered the United States unlawfully in 2015 and has been sought by authorities in El Salvador. He is classified by ICE as a “criminal noncitizen” and is believed to have ties to the 18th Street Gang—one of the largest criminal organizations in Central America. The group is a known rival of MS-13, which the U.S. State Department designated a foreign terrorist organization earlier this year.

The arrest warrant from El Salvador accuses Rivas-Escalante of engaging in “illicit associations” with the 18th Street Gang. Officials say he was first apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol near Hidalgo, Texas, in December 2015 after crossing the border illegally. An immigration judge later granted him bond, allowing him to remain in the country while contesting his immigration case.

On June 11, federal agents located and arrested him again—this time in Marco Island. The operation was carried out by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Fugitive Operations Team, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations in Fort Myers, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Marco Island Police Department. “He is a criminal alien here illegally,” Meares stated. “We had a plan to go get him.”

The detention comes at a time when the administration has significantly increased immigration enforcement resources. ICE data indicates that as of June 1, more than 51,000 people were being held in detention facilities—far above the roughly 41,500-bed capacity the agency had originally been funded for earlier in the year. The figure represents an increase of more than 30% since January 12. Officials say new congressional funding, approved as part of the administration’s recent legislative package, has allowed ICE to expand detention operations.

Meares added that Rivas-Escalante will now proceed through immigration court while in federal custody. “He was arrested for being a foreign fugitive,” he said. “He’ll go through immigration proceedings here, and ultimately he will be removed and turned over to El Salvadoran officials.”

Meanwhile, the arrest has intensified a separate political controversy involving an Arizona lawmaker. Earlier in the week, Democratic state senator Analise Ortiz acknowledged on social media that she had notified local residents about ICE activity in their area. Her comments quickly drew attention from federal officials.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security criticized Ortiz’s actions, arguing that her public warnings prioritized “illegal criminals over American citizens,” according to a statement provided to Fox News. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the network that Ortiz’s conduct could be viewed as interference with a federal operation. When asked whether the senator might face charges, McLaughlin responded, “This certainly looks like obstruction of justice.”

The ICE operation on Marco Island, the allegations against Rivas-Escalante, and the debate about whether public officials should warn communities about enforcement actions have collectively renewed national conversations about immigration policy, transparency, and the balance between community trust and law-enforcement priorities.

As federal officials continue to carry out targeted arrests under expanded enforcement directives, communities across the country remain sharply divided over how immigration laws should be interpreted and how far public officials should go in responding to federal activity. For now, Rivas-Escalante remains in custody, awaiting the next step in his legal process—one that will likely draw further scrutiny as the national debate evolves.