A group of MS-13 gang members — all of whom are reportedly in the U.S. illegally — allegedly stabbed at least three correctional officers in a violent attack on Friday morning inside a Virginia prison, according to authorities.
The violent incident took place around 9:45 a.m. at Wallens Ridge State Prison in Big Stone Gap, when six inmates — including five linked to the infamous El Salvadoran gang MS-13 — carried out a planned assault on the three correctional officers, the Virginia Department of Corrections said. "Five of the individuals responsible for this senseless attack should never have been in the country in the first place," VADOC Director Chad Dotson said in a statement.
Mayhem Inside Prison
"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," the statement read.
All five gang members had previously been found guilty of serious offenses, such as homicide and rape. Officials said that the sixth inmate, a U.S. citizen connected to the Sureño 13 gang, is currently serving a sentence for second-degree murder.
Five correctional officers were rushed to outside hospitals after the attack. Three of them — including two who suffered minor injuries while intervening during the ambush — have been discharged, officials confirmed.
The other two officers are still hospitalized but are in stable condition. Authorities say the investigation into the incident is still underway.
No One Is Safe
The brutal stabbing incident comes as national outrage grows over the case of alleged MS-13 member Kilmar Abrego Garcia — who was arrested by ICE in March and deported to El Salvador, even though an immigration judge had granted him protection from deportation.
Garcia, 29, was first locked up in the notorious CECOT mega-prison before being transferred to a lower-security facility last month.
He has denied any involvement in criminal activity, and his attorney maintains that Garcia has no ties to gang activity.
Despite multiple court rulings ordering his return, the Trump administration has pushed back, insisting that Garcia was living in the U.S. illegally and is a member of the violent MS-13 gang.
President Trump, who launched nationwide raids to remove undocumented immigrants, officially labeled MS-13 and Tren de Aragua as foreign terrorist outfits after declaring a national emergency at the southern border at the start of his second term.
Federal authorities say MS-13, also known as Mara Salvatrucha 13, was formed in the late 1980s and early 1990s and has since evolved into one of the country's most feared criminal organizations, known more for its brutal violence than for conventional criminal schemes.
In New York, the gang made a strong presence on Long Island, reaching its height around 2015, and left behind a legacy of savage and relentless attacks.
