July 10 (UPI) — U.S. Border Patrol agents in Detroit arrested two men in the United States illegally over the past weekend, one of whom admitted to being a member of the gang MS-13 and spending time in a Salvadorian prison for murder.

Agents responded to a request for help from law enforcement partners in Sterling Heights, Mich., who were holding two men involved in a fight at a local motel Sunday, according to a press release from the Department of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Record checks showed that the two were in the United States illegally.

During interviews, one man claimed to be a member of the gang Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, and said he had spent 20 years in a Salvadorian prison for the murder of a rival gang member.

The department didn’t reveal the names of the men.

“This is a major win for the U.S. Border Patrol and the safety of our communities,” said Detroit Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Javier Geronimo Jr. “This arrest is a clear example of how agents and our law enforcement partners are protecting our towns by removing violent criminals from our country.”

Both men are being processed for removal from the country, the release said.

MS-13 is a known gang that began in Los Angeles and was created to protect Salvadorian immigrants. It has since become an organized crime organization and has spread throughout the Americas.

MS-13 is listed as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government.