Illegal suspect in Philadelphia migrant slaying crossed border behind Obama, finally released

PHILADELPHIA — On October 4, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from Philadelphia deported a Salvadoran national wanted in his home country for aggravated murder and ties to a terrorist organization. The individual, identified as Gustavo Adolfo Rivas Muñoz, was turned over to law enforcement in El Salvador upon arrival.

“Thanks to the excellent work of our deportation officers, Gustavo Adolfo Rivas Muñoz has returned to El Salvador to face justice in his home country,” said Cammilla Wamsley, ERO’s Philadelphia Field Office Director.

Rivas first entered the United States illegally in February 2013 when he was apprehended by the US Border Patrol near Hidalgo, Texas. He was issued a notice to appear before an immigration judge and later released on his own recognizance. On February 1, 2017, an immigration judge in Harlingen, Texas, ordered Rivas deported in absentia.

In October 2023, the Prince George’s County District Court in Upper Marlborough, Maryland, convicted Rivas of conspiracy to commit assault and sentenced him to 25 years in prison with 20 years suspended with credit for time served. After serving part of his sentence, Rivas entered ICE custody in August 2024, when ERO Baltimore placed an immigration detainer at the Jessop Correctional Facility in Maryland.

On August 22, ERO Baltimore officers arrested Rivas in Jessup and transferred him to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania to await deportation. After being deported on October 4, Rivas was handed over to El Salvadoran authorities, who sought his extradition on charges of aggravated murder and involvement in a terrorist organization.