DHS Records Salvadoran 18th Street Gang Member Arrested in Bullhead City

BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. — A federal immigration arrest in Bullhead City is drawing attention to questions surrounding criminal activity, immigration enforcement, and public safety in Mohave County.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has identified David Rivera Lopez, a Salvadoran national whom DHS describes as an undocumented immigrant and member of the 18th Street gang, as having been arrested in Bullhead City, Arizona. According to DHS, his criminal history includes gang activity, assault, burglary, and possession of a weapon. DHS included Rivera Lopez in a July 29 announcement concerning thousands of people added to its public “Worst of the Worst” database. 

The information is significant locally because Bullhead City and the surrounding area have recently experienced visible federal immigration-enforcement activity. Code3News reported earlier this month that ICE officers had been operating throughout the Bullhead City area, while noting that an estimate of approximately 15 arrests in the Bullhead City-Laughlin area had not been independently confirmed by ICE at the time of its report. 

Social Media Alerts Raise Another Question

ICE activity has also generated considerable discussion on Mohave County social-media pages. Some users post sightings or locations of immigration officers, sometimes explicitly intending to warn people who could be subject to immigration enforcement.

That creates an important distinction.

The Rivera Lopez case nevertheless raises a legitimate public-policy question: What happens when broadly distributed warnings about law-enforcement locations reach people with serious criminal histories or gang affiliations?

DHS says Homeland Security Investigations specifically targets transnational criminal organizations, violent gangs, narcotics smuggling and other threats to public safety.  ICE also maintains a public tip system for reporting suspected criminal activity, including matters involving transnational gangs. 

Immigration Status and Criminal Conduct Are Different Issues

The Bullhead City case highlighted by DHS is different because the federal government specifically identifies Rivera Lopez as an 18th Street gang member with a criminal history involving assault, burglary, weapons possession and gang activity. 

Federal Law on Illegal Entry: Contrary to a common misconception, illegally entering the United States is a federal crime. Under 8 U.S.C. § 1325, a first offense is a federal misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail. Subsequent illegal-entry offenses can carry up to two years, while unlawful reentry after deportation or removal is a separate federal crime under 8 U.S.C. § 1326, with penalties that can increase depending on a person’s criminal history. 

A Question for Mohave County

Residents can reasonably debate federal immigration policy, enforcement tactics and how immigration laws should be written. But the presence of an individual whom DHS identifies as an undocumented 18th Street gang member with this type of criminal history raises a more immediate local question:

What measures should Bullhead City and Mohave County take when individuals with documented serious criminal histories and alleged gang affiliations are found within our communities?

Arizona law establishes circumstances under which state and local agencies cooperate with federal authorities concerning immigration status, while Arizona DPS says its own enforcement work focuses on criminal conduct rather than immigration status itself. 

For residents concerned about criminal activity, the most useful response is to provide information directly to law enforcement rather than interfere with an operation or confront a suspected offender.

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