Major Media Buries MS-13 Gang Leader Arrest While Spotlighting Alleged Hamas Supporter

Major news outlets spent ten times more airtime covering the arrest of a Turkish student accused of supporting Hamas than they did reporting on the capture of a top MS-13 gang leader, according to a new study. The sharp contrast reveals what critics say is a clear preference for political narrative over public safety.

Key Facts:

On March 27, the FBI announced the arrest of Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos, MS-13’s alleged East Coast leader.
A day earlier, ICE detained Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish student at Tufts University, for alleged support of Hamas.
Media Research Center (MRC) tracked news coverage from March 26–27 on five major networks.
Ozturk’s arrest received 119 minutes of coverage; Villatoro’s arrest got just 11 minutes total.
ABC, CBS, and NBC gave zero airtime to Villatoro’s arrest but covered Ozturk’s extensively.

The Rest of The Story:

According to the Media Research Center, ABC, CBS, and NBC didn’t mention the MS-13 leader’s arrest at all, while CNN and MSNBC gave it minimal coverage.

In contrast, Ozturk’s detainment sparked widespread media attention, much of it critical of the Trump administration’s actions.

Ozturk was in the U.S. on a student visa.

A DHS spokesperson said her alleged support for Hamas—a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization—justified revoking that visa.

WATCH 🔴

Marco Rubio on Rumeysa Ozturk, the Turkish student who was detained:

“We revoked her visa. It’s an F-1 visa, I believe. We revoked it, and here’s why—I’ve said it everywhere, and I’ll say it again.

Let me be abundantly clear: If you apply for a student visa to come to… pic.twitter.com/ysnncquYue

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 27, 2025

Supporters have described her arrest as politically motivated and authoritarian, with rallies and media segments highlighting her case.

Meanwhile, Villatoro, a Salvadoran national, was a major figure in MS-13’s U.S. operations.

His arrest followed a broader crackdown by the Trump administration, which has deported other top gang members back to El Salvador.

Yet this success story went virtually unnoticed by the major networks.

REPORT: Prosecutors say illegal Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos, 24, is one of three U.S. leaders of the MS-13 gang

The FBI recovered multiple firearms, ammo, and silencers from his mother’s house

Santos was found hiding in an alcove near the garage

SWAT teams used stun grenades… pic.twitter.com/hr3AJZIa3H

— Unlimited L's (@unlimited_ls) April 1, 2025

Commentary:

The corporate media’s choice to ignore the arrest of an MS-13 gang leader is not just baffling—it’s deliberate.

At a time when Americans consistently express distrust in mainstream outlets, this story shows exactly why.

Public safety took a backseat to political theater.

Instead of reporting on a major law enforcement win—taking down a known leader of one of the most violent criminal gangs in the Western Hemisphere—networks gave wall-to-wall coverage to a foreign student accused of aiding a terrorist group.

Why?

Because it fit their preferred script.

Rather than commend the Trump administration for dismantling a dangerous criminal network, these outlets chose to dramatize the arrest of someone allegedly supporting a group that celebrates the killing of Americans.

Somehow, that’s the story they believed deserved empathy and airtime.

It’s impossible to understand how any American news outlet could oppose removing violent gang leaders who entered the country illegally.

MS-13 is infamous for brutal murders and extortion.

Taking down one of their top leaders is a public service, not a partisan move.

But the legacy media would rather paint Trump as an authoritarian boogeyman than admit his administration’s policies might actually work.

They continue to prioritize narrative over national interest, even if it means ignoring real threats to American communities.

As their credibility crumbles, they double down—defending Hamas sympathizers and covering up gang takedowns.

If that’s the hill they want to die on, they’ve made their choice.

But Americans are watching—and tuning out.

The Bottom Line:

The media’s lopsided coverage sends a clear message: political agenda comes first.

By ignoring the arrest of a violent MS-13 leader while spotlighting a terror-linked foreign student, major outlets expose their bias.

This is more than media malpractice.

It’s a disservice to the American public, who deserve the full story—not just the one that fits a narrative.