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Federal officials took 56-year-old Javier Zeledon Reyes into custody in Hyattsville on March 6, after he revealed details of his past crimes that included slaughtering nearly two dozen people in the 1990s while he was serving in the Nicaraguan military and later aided a Mexican drug cartel.
“This arrest highlights exactly why ICE is vital to the safety of our nation,” said Matthew Elliston, acting field office director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in Baltimore.
“This individual, while in proceedings, admitted to his horrific past—massacring innocent people and later aiding a ruthless drug cartel in Mexico.
"His presence in the United States was a direct threat to public safety.”
Zeledon was first arrested at the Gateway International Bridge in Brownsville, Texas, on March 29, 2023, and issued a notice to appear before an immigration judge.
During his hearing on Wednesday, March 5, Zeledon freely admitted to serving in the Nicaraguan military from 1995 to 1996, where he fired an AK-47 into a crowd of civilians, killing about 20 people.
He also confessed to relocating to Mexico, where he provided material support to a drug cartel.
The immigration judge ordered Zeledon removed from the United States to Nicaragua.
Zeledon remains in ICE custody pending his deportation.
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