A Salvadoran national and confirmed member of the 18th Street gang was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after a high-speed pursuit in Virginia ended in a multi-car crash, federal officials confirmed, as reported by The New York Post.
Javier Enrique Canas-Escobar, 31, also known by his gang alias “Caquillo,” was apprehended on May 22 in Bealeton, Virginia — located more than 50 miles from Washington, D.C. — following a car chase that concluded when he drove into oncoming traffic and crashed into another vehicle. ICE agents and Virginia State Police took him into custody at the scene.
Javier Enrique Canas-Escobar, 31, was apprehended in Bealeton, Va., more than 50 miles from the nation’s capital following the multi-car crash on May 22 — and is a member of the “notorious transnational” https://t.co/Ir2jBngzPd
— 21 South News (@21SouthNews) May 30, 2025
ICE stated that Canas-Escobar, who has been charged with illegal firearms possession in El Salvador, entered the United States unlawfully at an unknown location and time, without inspection or authorization. Salvadoran authorities submitted a request for his extradition on May 16.
Following his arrest, Canas-Escobar was transported to a nearby hospital for minor treatment and then transferred to local custody. ICE has filed a detainer with the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office in Warrenton, Virginia.
State officials charged Canas-Escobar with multiple offenses, including two felony counts of assaulting law enforcement officers, felony eluding, felony and misdemeanor hit-and-runs, driving on the wrong side of the highway, destruction of property, and failure to obey a stop sign.
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“Canas-Escobar posed a significant threat to the residents of our Virginia communities,” said Russell Hott, Field Office Director for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Washington, D.C.
“He has a slew of charges to answer to before being removed to El Salvador to face firearms charges there.”
The arrest follows recent orders from the White House to increase deportation activity nationwide. President Trump’s administration is currently directing ICE to raise daily enforcement targets from 1,800 to 3,000 arrests per day.
Tom Homan, President Trump’s border czar, reported last month that 139,000 illegal immigrants were deported during the administration’s first 100 days. However, Homan noted that an estimated 700,000 individuals with criminal charges remain in the country.
ICE has recently undergone leadership changes to accelerate removals, with several retirements and internal promotions aimed at streamlining enforcement operations.
The Biden-era slowdown in deportations has faced sharp criticism from immigration enforcement advocates and Republican lawmakers, who argue that criminal aliens like Canas-Escobar should be prioritized for immediate removal.
The 18th Street gang, to which Canas-Escobar belongs, is classified as a violent transnational criminal organization with operations throughout Central America and the United States.
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