An MS-13 gang member is among 13 illegal aliens from El Salvador convicted for their involvement in gang-related murders in the sanctuary state of Colorado, Breitbart News has learned.

In July, 31-year-old illegal alien Mauricio Alvarado-Vasquez of El Salvador was convicted for his involvement in the 2019 murders of Vicky DeDios and Carlos Ramirez-Rivera, as well as the attempted murder of Alexander Portillo in Aurora, Colorado.

Alvarado-Vasquez was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Law enforcement sources who spoke to Breitbart News said Alvarado-Vasquez is just one of 13 illegal aliens associated with the notoriously violent MS-13 gang who have been convicted and sentenced for their involvement in the Aurora murders and attempted murder.

The other 12 illegal alien MS-13 gang associates are:

Colorado’s sanctuary state policy, which greatly limits law enforcement cooperation with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, may have played a significant role in the web of MS-13 gang crimes, according to experts.

“HB 19-1124, which prevents ICE from working with local law enforcement, has caused countless criminal illegal aliens to go completely unrecognized in the criminal justice system,” National Immigration Center for Enforcement (NICE) advisory board member John Fabbricatore told Breitbart News in a statement.

“Colorado’s sanctuary laws are misguided and dangerous to everyone who lives in Colorado,” Fabbricatore, who is a former senior ICE officer, said.

According to prosecutors, in September 2019 Vicky DeDios’s body was found by Aurora police in a car set ablaze. DeDios had been stabbed more than 20 times. Moments before her murder, DeDios had been lured outside of a bar and kidnapped while unconscious.

Prosecutor Laura Wilson said Alvarado-Vasquez “bragged about stabbing the victim first and then asked her how it feels to die.”

Then, two months later, prosecutors said Carlos Ramirez-Rivera was shot multiple times and killed while he was stopped at a red light. MS-13 gang members targeted him because they suspected he was a member of a rival gang.

Fabbricatore said Colorado’s sanctuary state policy prevents ICE agents “from working with local law enforcement to stop horrific crime sprees like this one before they actually happen.”

“The state’s sanctuary policy has had a negative impact on public safety. The policy has led to a decrease in the number of criminal aliens that are identified and removed from the state,” he told Breitbart News. “This has resulted in a decrease in public safety, as criminals are able to remain in the state and continue to commit crimes.”

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.