Fugitives escape Mexican justice by hiding out in L.A. — Isn’t this just the opposite of the way things are supposed to be?

The killers cross the U.S.-Mexico border, assume new identities, get jobs, blend in among Spanish speakers and sometimes enjoy freedom for years.

But these fugitives from the law are not border-jumpers heading south. As the recent arrest of one of Mexico’s most notorious fugitives at a modest home outside Los Angeles showed, some criminals escape justice by heading north.

In the past 10 months, federal immigration officials have helped locate 13 Mexican murder suspects — along with hundreds of other criminals — hiding in plain sight in the Los Angeles area.