A 29-year-old El Salvador citizen charged with first-degree murder in Leon County illegally entered the United States near Hidalgo, Texas, was ordered removed by an immigration judge in 2024 and has been identified as a suspected MS-13 gang member, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The new information from ICE, first reported locally by WCTV, provides additional details about the immigration history of Luis Eduardo Olla-Hernandez, who was arrested over the weekend following a homicide investigation in southwest Leon County.
The Leon County Sheriff’s Office said Olla-Hernandez was arrested and charged with first-degree murder following a homicide Saturday. Authorities have released few details about the circumstances surrounding the death.
Olla-Hernandez was booked into the Leon County Detention Facility Sunday and ordered held without bond during his first court appearance Monday.
ICE Detainer
Court records obtained by Tallahassee Reports include a Department of Homeland Security immigration detainer issued Aug. 23.
The document identifies Olla-Hernandez as a citizen of El Salvador and states that DHS determined there was probable cause to believe he is removable from the United States.
The detainer cites pending removal proceedings, biometric confirmation of his identity, a check of federal databases and statements Olla-Hernandez made to immigration authorities and/or other evidence as bases for that determination.
A separate DHS document directs the Leon County Jail to detain Olla-Hernandez and states: “Hold for ICE.”
ICE provided additional information about Olla-Hernandez to WCTV on Monday.
An ICE spokesperson told the television station that Olla-Hernandez illegally entered the United States near Hidalgo, Texas, and that an immigration judge ordered him removed in 2024.
ICE also told WCTV that Olla-Hernandez has been identified as a suspected member of Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, which the federal government designated a foreign terrorist organization in 2025.
The ICE detainer includes checked boxes indicating Olla-Hernandez is subject to detention provisions of the Laken Riley Act and is considered a member of a designated foreign terrorist organization and/or a national security, border security or public safety risk.
Previous Leon County Encounter
Court records reviewed by Tallahassee Reports show Olla-Hernandez had an encounter with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office in January 2024, the same year ICE says an immigration judge ordered him removed.
According to an LCSO probable-cause affidavit, a deputy stopped Olla-Hernandez on Jan. 16, 2024, near West Tennessee Street and Aenon Church Road because a taillight was out.
When the deputy asked Olla-Hernandez for his driver’s license, Olla-Hernandez instead presented an El Salvador passport. According to the affidavit, Olla-Hernandez told the deputy that the passport gave him legal grounds to drive the vehicle.
The deputy ran Olla-Hernandez through law-enforcement databases and discovered that he had a Florida driver’s license that had been suspended on Oct. 16, 2023.
According to the affidavit, Olla-Hernandez acknowledged that he knew his license was suspended and said he was driving because he did not have anyone else to drive him.
The deputy issued Olla-Hernandez a criminal citation rather than booking him into jail.
The traffic case was eventually amended to operating a motor vehicle without a valid license. Court records show Olla-Hernandez pleaded no contest in December 2024, with adjudication withheld.
The January 2024 encounter is noteworthy because the deputy knew Olla-Hernandez was an El Salvador citizen and ran his information through law-enforcement databases. However, the probable-cause affidavit contains no indication that his immigration status was investigated or that federal immigration authorities were contacted.
The record also does not establish whether Olla-Hernandez had already been ordered removed at the time of the traffic stop.
Questions About 2024 Removal Order
The timing of the immigration proceedings remains an important unanswered question.
ICE told WCTV that an immigration judge ordered Olla-Hernandez removed in 2024, but the agency did not provide the date of the order in the information reported by WCTV.
If the removal order occurred before the Jan. 16 traffic stop, Olla-Hernandez would have encountered LCSO after a judge had ordered him removed. If the order occurred later, the immigration information available to the deputy during the traffic stop could have been substantially different.
There is another unresolved issue.
The Aug. 23, 2026 ICE detainer obtained by Tallahassee Reports checks a box stating there are “ongoing removal proceedings” involving Olla-Hernandez. The form does not check the separate box indicating that a final order of removal exists.
It is therefore unclear whether the 2024 removal order became final, was appealed, was reopened or was affected by subsequent immigration proceedings.
The January 2024 LCSO affidavit also shows Olla-Hernandez previously possessed a Florida driver’s license, although it had been suspended approximately three months before the traffic stop.
The available records do not establish what Olla-Hernandez’s immigration status was when Florida originally issued the license.
Timeline
Before October 2023: Olla-Hernandez obtains a Florida driver’s license.
Oct. 16, 2023: His Florida driver’s license is suspended, according to the LCSO affidavit.
Jan. 16, 2024: An LCSO deputy stops Olla-Hernandez in Leon County. He presents an El Salvador passport. The deputy runs his information through law-enforcement databases and issues him a criminal citation.
2024: According to ICE, an immigration judge orders Olla-Hernandez removed from the United States. The exact date and subsequent status of that order remain unclear.
Dec. 17, 2024: Olla-Hernandez resolves the Leon County driver’s-license case with a no-contest plea.
2025: The federal government designates MS-13 as a foreign terrorist organization.
Aug. 22, 2026: LCSO begins investigating a homicide in southwest Leon County.
Aug. 23, 2026: Olla-Hernandez is booked on a first-degree murder charge. DHS issues an immigration detainer and an order directing Leon County to hold him for ICE.
Aug. 24, 2026: Olla-Hernandez appears in court and is ordered held without bond.
The ICE detainer does not affect Olla-Hernandez’s immediate custody status because he is already being held without bond on the murder charge.
The homicide investigation remains active and ongoing.
Be the first to leave a comment on this article.