The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia filed a motion to drop a charge against a man arrested last month, accused of being one of the U.S. leaders of MS-13.

Federal agents swarmed a Dale City home March 27 and arrested 24-year-old Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos, charging him with possession of a firearm by a person who is in the country illegally.

The motion to drop the charge did not give a reason why, but The Washington Post reports sources familiar with the matter say it’s so they can fast-track Villatoro Santos’ deportation.

Santos’ newly-appointed public defender is asking the court to delay the dismissal for fourteen days in order to get his client immigration counsel.

He noted the “substantial risks” involved in his client’s transfer to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and recent deportations by the Trump Administration without due process.

Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos appeared in federal court. The DOJ says the Dale City man is a leader of MS-13. News4’s Drew Wilder reports.

Attorney General Pam Bondi described him as “one of the top leaders of MS-13” and “one of the top three for the entire country.” She said he is from El Salvador and will be deported.

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News4 and Telemundo 44 spoke to Villatoro Santos’ mother, who shared copies of a federal search warrant affidavit showing agents seized multiple guns, ammunition, a letter from a jail outlining inmate “cliques” and immigration documents.

The front door of Villatoro Santos’ mother’s home was smashed from a battering ram. Her rear sliding glass door was smashed out.

President Donald Trump has blamed violence and gang growth on lax immigration policies. In his first term as president, Trump promised an all-out fight against MS-13, saying he would “dismantle, decimate and eradicate” the gang.

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