MS-13 Gang Member Arrested in Texas After Multiple Illegal Border Crossings
Texas authorities have captured a known MS-13 gang member who had been deported twice before, only to keep finding his way back into the United States. The arrest comes amid heightened scrutiny of cross-border gang activity and human smuggling operations in the state.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) announced that Walter Alexander Zavala Amaya was apprehended during a traffic stop in Val Verde County on August 20, 2025. The arrest, part of the state’s ongoing Operation Lone Star, occurred when troopers pulled over a maroon Ford Taurus on U.S. 277 just after 9:30 a.m.
What makes this case particularly striking? Zavala Amaya had already fled from DPS Troopers just one day earlier during a different traffic stop, dropping an ID card from El Salvador in the process. After escaping, authorities say he returned to Mexico and attempted to re-enter Texas with smugglers again the very next day — a bold move that ultimately led to his capture.
Repeated Border Crossings
The driver of the vehicle, 24-year-old Kieuncey Worth of Rockwall, Texas, and his passenger, 23-year-old Coy Ford of Wichita Falls, were both arrested and charged with smuggling of persons. Troopers discovered three illegal immigrants in the back seat — two Mexican nationals and Zavala Amaya.
With assistance from U.S. Border Patrol and the Threat Screening Center, authorities confirmed Zavala Amaya’s membership in MS-13, a gang that has been designated as a terrorist organization. Further investigation revealed a troubling pattern of illegal entries and removals.
“Zavala Amaya’s history indicates he was first arrested and deported to El Salvador by federal authorities with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in May 2016,” a DPS statement noted. He later re-entered the United States and was arrested again on July 11, 2025, by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Baltimore Field Office, resulting in his deportation just two days later on July 13 — barely a month before his most recent illegal re-entry into Texas.
Part of a Larger Pattern
This arrest isn’t an isolated incident. Border Patrol agents across Texas sectors have apprehended multiple MS-13 members in various migrant groups in recent years. Many have extensive criminal records, including drug possession and aggravated assault charges.
In the Rio Grande Valley Sector alone, agents have arrested several confirmed gang members, including Salvadoran nationals with what authorities describe as “lengthy criminal records.” Del Rio Station agents similarly detained an MS-13 member with an extensive criminal history who was attempting to elude apprehension.
The MS-13 connection raises particular concerns given the gang’s history of extreme violence. In a separate but related case from Maryland, three MS-13 members were recently charged with racketeering conspiracy involving murder. According to court documents, on July 4, 2024, the three allegedly killed a homeless man as part of their gang activities. Surveillance video captured the incident, leading to arrests on August 23, 2024.
Operation Lone Star’s Focus
Zavala Amaya’s arrest falls under the umbrella of Operation Lone Star, Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s controversial border security initiative launched in 2021. The operation has deployed thousands of Texas DPS officers and National Guard troops to the border region with a stated mission of combating illegal immigration and drug and human trafficking.
Critics have questioned the operation’s effectiveness and cost, while supporters point to arrests like Zavala Amaya’s as evidence of its necessity. The initiative has been particularly focused on identifying and apprehending individuals with gang affiliations who cross the border illegally.
For now, the three illegal immigrants found in the vehicle, including Zavala Amaya, have been turned over to U.S. Border Patrol for processing. Worth and Ford remain in custody at the Val Verde County Jail on smuggling charges.
As border security continues to be a contentious political issue, cases like this one underscore the complex challenges facing law enforcement agencies tasked with identifying high-risk individuals among the thousands crossing the southern border each month.
