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ICE DEPORTS FORMER SALVADORAN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE OFFICER HIDING IN CALIFORNIA WITH HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE RECORD ICE agents arrested and deported Jaime Avalos-Jimenez, a 67-year-old former Salvadoran military intelligence officer who had been living secretly in California for years. Agents took him into custody during a targeted operation in the Livermore neighborhood of the San Francisco area on September 4. He was removed back to El Salvador on September 18 after a court denied his petition for review. Officials say Avalos-Jimenez participated in Operation Fenix during El Salvador’s civil war, in which the military carried out indiscriminate attacks on civilian populations suspected of supporting guerrilla fighters. He is also accused of assisting in the abuse of detainees believed to be members of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, the left-wing guerrilla group that later became a political party. After the abuses, he entered the United States and sought relief and benefits. The government denied his applications after determining he lied about his military service and the human rights violations he helped commit. ICE San Francisco Field Office Director Sergio Albarran stated, “ICE remains committed to identifying and removing individuals who have participated in human rights abuses and who have no legal basis to remain in the United States.” Avalos-Jimenez had no known criminal arrests inside the United States, but his past and false statements on immigration forms left him with no legal right to stay. The case highlights ICE’s focus on removing those who committed atrocities abroad and then sought sanctuary in the United States, including in sanctuary states like California where enforcement has faced political resistance. This removal shows the system working as intended: no safe haven for those who lied about participating in human rights abuses during wartime operations against civilians. Sources: New York Post / California Post reporting, October 15, 2026 ICE statement via Sergio Albarran US Homeland Security News account summary of the California Post report