MS-13 Gang Members Allegedly Stab 3 Virginia State Prison Officers

Five of the prisoners accused in the attack are in the United States illegally.

U.S. military personnel escort alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and the MS-13 gang recently deported by the U.S. government to be imprisoned in the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) prison, at the El Salvador International Airport in San Luis Talpa, El Salvador, on April 12, 2025. Secretaria de Prensa de la Presidencia/Handout via Reuters

Three corrections officers at the Wallens Ridge State Prison in Virginia were attacked by six inmates in an “apparently premeditated stabbing” incident, the Virginia Department of Corrections said in a May 2 statement shared on social media platform X.

“The attack occurred at approximately 09:45 a.m. on Friday, May 2. Five of the six inmates involved in the attack are confirmed MS-13 gang members from El Salvador, who were in this country illegally. Each have been convicted of violent crimes including aggravated murder, first and second degree murder, and rape,” said the statement.

“The other inmate involved in the attack is a confirmed member of the Sureno 13 gang and from the United States, serving a sentence for second degree murder.”

In total, five officers were shifted outside for medical treatment. Three have been discharged, including two who had suffered minor injuries while responding to the attack.

Two officers are still in the hospital and are in “stable condition,” the corrections department said.

“Praying for the full recovery of the three Virginia correctional officers brutally stabbed today in a premeditated attack by MS-13 gang members, criminal illegal immigrants who should never have been in our country to begin with,” Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a May 3 post on social media platform X.

Mara Salvatrucha or MS-13 is one of the largest Hispanic criminal street gangs operating in the United States, according to the Department of Justice. Members are known to engage in drug trafficking, assault, weapons trafficking, robbery, and homicide.

The group is estimated to have more than 10,000 members in the United States. In February, the Department of State designated MS-13 as a terrorist organization.

Sureno 13 is a transnational criminal street gang that originated in southern California and is known to engage in criminal activities such as human trafficking, murder, extortion, and narcotics trafficking, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Virginia attack is currently under investigation.

“Five of the individuals responsible for this senseless attack should never have been in this country in the first place,” said corrections department Director Chad Dotson.

“Every single day, our officers put their lives on the line to ensure public safety for the more than 8.8 million people across the Commonwealth. This attack is an example of the dangers they face when they show up to work every day. Our officers are heroes, and I commend the team at Wallens Ridge for their swift response,” he said.

The Epoch Times reached out to Virginia Department of Corrections for additional comment.

Removal of Illegal Immigrants

Under the Trump administration, there has been an intense effort to arrest and remove illegal immigrants and criminals.

In an April 29 statement, ICE announced it has arrested 66,463 illegals and removed 65,682 of them in the first 100 days of the Trump administration, including those who threaten national security and public safety. Three in every four arrests made were criminals.

The arrests include “2,288 gang members from Tren de Aragua, MS-13, 18th Street and other gangs. Additionally, 1,329 were accused or convicted of sex offenses, and 498 were accused or convicted of murder,” said ICE Acting Director Todd M. Lyons. “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.”

However, the administration is facing significant legal challenges in its enforcement efforts.

In January, President Donald Trump had signed a memorandum to create a 30,000-person detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to house illegal immigrants. The illegals are to be kept at the facility temporarily before being moved to their home countries.

On April 30, U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy issued a court order saying that the government cannot remove any individuals from Guantanamo Bay to other nations unless the detainees are given the opportunity to raise claims of potential persecution or torture.

The order, which is a modification of a previous injunction issued by the judge on April 18, puts roadblocks in Washington’s attempt to deport the criminals from Guantanamo Bay.

Earlier on April 23, border czar Tom Homan said the administration aimed to continue deporting illegal immigrants “despite what the district court says.”

His comments came after a district judge issued a ruling on April 9 that blocked the government from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport people.

Homan pushed back on the court decision. “Maybe we’ve got to hold off on some of the deportation operation we’re doing, but it’s not going to stop us from seeking these people now, arresting them, and taking them off the streets of the United States while we’re waiting for the courts to decide,” he said.