Sanders Releases Statement After Arkansas State Police Arrest Transnational Criminal Illegal

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders today released a statement on the arrest of Elias Avila Bustillo, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador wanted in his home country for illegal gang association.

"The crisis at our southern border has let millions of illegal immigrants roam free inside our country. Thankfully, we will soon have a President who takes border security seriously and will ensure that violent criminal illegals like this one are deported and don't return to the United States," said Governor Sanders. "Thank you to all the law enforcement officers who played a role in arresting this criminal and getting him off our streets and out of our country."

Arkansas State Police initiated a routine traffic stop on Interstate 40, near the 160-mile marker in North Little Rock, when the vehicle's passenger, Bustillo, fled on foot to a nearby field. A joint effort between ASP troopers, ASP Air Support, and a K9 unit from the Arkansas Department of Corrections responded to the incident and located Bustillo about an hour later.

Bustillo is in the United States illegally and is wanted in El Salvador for illegal gang associations. State Police transported Bustillo to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office in Little Rock, where he is in the custody of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations.