WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security has arrested two MS-13 gang leaders wanted in El Salvador for violent crimes that include murder, drug trafficking, and gang conspiracy.

One of these gang leaders, The Daily Wire can exclusively report, is Rene Escobar-Ochoa, arrested on July 9 during a coordinated enforcement operation in Omaha, Nebraska. Though U.S. Border Patrol encountered him as far back as 2023, he was allowed to remain in the country under President Joe Biden’s administration, DHS shared.

Escobar-Ochoa faces an “INTERPOL Red Notice” from El Salvador for conspiracy to commit murder and drug trafficking, DHS said.

Rene Escobar-Ochoa, photo courtesy of DHS.

The second gang member, who is a Salvadoran national, is not named by ICE but is on El Salvador’s 100 Most Wanted Fugitives list, according to DHS. Fox News first reported his arrest on Thursday afternoon.

He is wanted for five counts of murder, and U.S. authorities had previously convicted him for illegally crossing the border. He was arrested in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

A Salvadoran national on El Salvador’s 100 Most Wanted list. Photo courtesy of DHS.

“The Biden Administration allowed two ringleaders of MS-13, one of the most violent gangs in the world, straight into our country,” DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said on Thursday. “One of these depraved aliens is on El Salvador’s 100 Most Wanted Fugitives list and is wanted for five counts of murder. The other has an INTERPOL notice for drug trafficking.”

“These are the kinds of scum-bags sanctuary politicians are protecting and letting walk free on America’s streets,” McLaughlin added.

Both arrests were led by HSI Omaha with support from federal and international law enforcement partners, and ICE is holding both gang members in custody as ICE coordinates with El Salvadoran authorities to send them back to their home country to “face justice.”

DHS emphasizes that the MS-13 gang members’ ability to get into the United States only highlights the danger that open border policies present to American citizens, as well as President Donald Trump’s administration’s efforts to stem the border crisis.

In the first 100 days of the second Trump administration, ICE arrested 66,463 illegal aliens and removed 65,682 aliens, “including criminals who threaten public safety and national security.” Three in four of the arrests were criminal illegal aliens, the agency said.

Criminal records of the aliens arrested include 9,639 assaults, 6,398 DWIs or DUIs, and 1,479 weapon offenses.

“We removed over 65,000 illegal aliens to countries across the world,” ICE acting Director Todd M. Lyons said in June when ICE released the first 100 days numbers. “We’re just 100 days into this administration and thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem, ICE is using every tool at its disposal to enforce our country’s immigration laws and protect our communities.”

The Pentagon agreed to purchase $400 million of preferred stock in MP Materials, which operates the only rare earth minerals mine in the United States, the company announced on Thursday.

The mine, located in Mountain Pass, California — 60 miles southwest of Las Vegas — extracts rare earth minerals that are vital for the U.S. military, CNBC reported. The Defense Department’s move is part of the Trump administration’s plan to break its dependence on China for rare earths, a goal that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum discussed in April.

“This initiative marks a decisive action by the Trump administration to accelerate American supply chain independence,” said James Litinsky, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of MP Materials. “We are proud to enter into this transformational public-private partnership and are deeply grateful to President Trump, our partners at the Pentagon, and our employees, customers and stakeholders for their unwavering support and dedication.”

Rare earths are used to produce magnets that are incorporated into critical U.S. military weapons systems, including those for drones, submarines, and the F-35 fighter jet, CNBC reported. Shortly after taking office, Trump signed an executive order to ramp up American rare earth mining, bemoaning the fact that 70% of the United States’ imports of rare earths come from China. Trump stated that he wants to make the United States “the leading producer and processor of non-fuel minerals, including rare earth minerals.”

China currently produces around 60% of the world’s rare earths and refines nearly 90%, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Rare earth minerals are also used to manufacture electronics, including smartphones and laptops, as well as electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies. After Trump levied tariffs on China, the communist country halted shipments of rare earth minerals to the United States. The administration announced late last month that it had reached an agreement with China to restart rare earth imports.

MP Materials’ agreement with the Pentagon will result in the construction of the company’s “second domestic magnet manufacturing facility (the ’10X Facility’) at a soon-to-be-chosen location to serve both defense and commercial customers.” The “10X Facility” is expected to be completed in 2028, which will boost MP Materials’ manufacturing capacity to 10,000 metric tons, according to the company. The Pentagon’s agreement with MP Materials is for 10 years and establishes “a price floor commitment” to ensure that the company is protected from “non-market forces.”

Shares of MP Materials jumped nearly 50% on Thursday, hitting $44 as of Thursday morning. The company’s all-time high was $56.54, reached on April 1, 2022.

News of the agreement comes shortly after Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) introduced a bill to expedite the extraction of rare earth elements in the United States, aiming to better protect America’s national security.

“Current environmental laws put our readiness to counter Communist China at risk and waste taxpayer dollars on projects that stall out and die on the vine,” Cotton told Fox News Digital. “This bill will create jobs, better arm and prepare our soldiers, and spend taxpayer dollars more efficiently.”