An MS-13 gang member convicted in a savage execution-style murder is out of federal custody in California after a federal judge ordered his immediate release, igniting fury from the Trump administration.U.S.District Judge Jinsook Ohta ordered the release of David Antonio Aviles Perez, 35, aka "the witch," after finding that immigration officials held him for five months without giving him a bond hearing or individually determining whether he posed a danger to the public or a flight risk.Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin accused the Biden-appointed judge of putting the public in danger by ordering Aviles Perez’s release.DHS EVISCERATES MEDIA FOR ‘ABSOLUTE ABSURDITY’ OVER CONCERN ABOUT ‘WORST OF THE WORST’ ACTIVIST JUDGES LISTDavid Antonio Aviles Perez is wanted for murder in El Salvador, where prosecutors note he is known as "the witch" and a notorious MS-13 gang member.
(Department of Homeland Security)"This radical activist judge has put American lives at risk by releasing a wanted murderer," Mullin said in a statement Saturday."This is now the SECOND time this dangerous illegal has been released back onto the streets in California," he added."Because sanctuary politicians want to play politics from the bench, innocent Americans are in danger."SANCTUARY LAWS COULD STOP POLICE FROM PROTECTING KIDS.
SO WE’RE SUING CALIFORNIAMembers of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gangs deported to El Salvador by the U.S.arrive in San Salvador, El Salvador, March 31, 2025.
(Salvadorian Press Presidency Office/Anadolu via Getty Images, File)The case centers on a brutal 2014 gang killing in El Salvador and a legal fight over the Trump administration’s authority to detain immigrants while removal proceedings unfold.Alvise Pérez, identified by Salvadoran prosecutors as an active MS-13 member also known as "La Bruja," or "The Witch," was convicted while outside El Salvador in December 2025, and sentenced to 20 years in prison for agg...