A Salvadoran national accused of stalking a U.S. government official and her child has been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after failing to comply with a 2022 deportation order, Fox News Digital has learned.
Jose Madrid Reyes, who has a long criminal history dating back nearly 20 years, was taken into custody on July 12 and remains in ICE detention. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), he is expected to be deported in the coming days.
The investigation began when a federal employee contacted Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), saying she believed she and her family were being followed. Fearing for her safety and that of her child, she reported the suspected stalking to authorities.
HSI quickly identified Reyes as the primary suspect. He had been ordered to leave the country by an immigration judge in 2022 and was later denied permanent legal residency in 2024—but remained in the U.S. illegally.
Decades-Long Criminal Record
Reyes’s rap sheet includes multiple driving while intoxicated (DWI) offenses and an assault conviction:
- 2006: Convicted of DWI in Manassas, Virginia
- 2017: Convicted of misdemeanor assault on a family member in Fairfax, Virginia
- 2019: Convicted of a second DWI in Fairfax County
Despite this record and the deportation order, Reyes had continued to live in the U.S. unlawfully until his recent arrest.
DHS: ICE Facing Rising Threats, Still Delivering Results
DHS officials said the arrest is part of a broader crackdown on criminal illegal immigrants.
“Day in and day out, our brave ICE agents are nabbing creeps who shouldn’t be in our country in the first place,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
“We will not allow these predators to terrorize American citizens. Despite facing an 830% increase in assaults against them, ICE law enforcement is keeping Americans safe from criminal illegal aliens and sending these slimeballs back to their home countries.”
According to DHS, Reyes is among a growing number of criminal aliens who defy court orders and remain in the U.S., posing a threat to public safety. ICE has recently stepped up enforcement efforts targeting individuals with serious criminal backgrounds, including violent offenders.
The name of the U.S. government official targeted in the alleged stalking case has not been released for her protection.
