'Brave Patriots' of ICE Arrest More Than 100 Gang Members in Less Than One Week
Members of MS-13 and Tren de Aragua are among those arrested in the ongoing crackdown.
Federal immigration agents arrested more than 100 gang members in less than a week. The arrests, from October 4 through October 10, mark the latest in a series of successful law enforcement operations on the part of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
There were 129 arrests by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and two arrests by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Included within that list are 22 members of the MS-13 gang and 13 members of the Tren de Aragua gang.
Among those arrested is Jose Luis Perez-Arrias, an illegal alien from Venezuela and a suspected Tren de Aragua hit man. Perez-Arrias, in October 2023, illegally crossed the border into Texas. The Biden administration released him after his arrest by the U.S. Border Patrol. ICE Miami and ERO Tallahassee arrested Perez-Arrias in Tallahassee, Florida on October 14. Additional details about other gang members ICE arrested as part of the agency’s crackdown on illegal immigration are available here.
Why It Matters
- The ICE arrests fit into a larger ongoing law enforcement effort. On October 13, federal immigration agents arrested a 14-year-old illegal alien from Venezuela who is associated with the Los Piratas Gang, a faction of Tren de Aragua, in Denver, Colorado. The 14-year-old suspect unlawfully had a Glock 48 pistol in his possession at the time of his arrest and faces charges of "first-degree murder – criminal attempt with extreme indifference, first-degree assault with extreme indifference, first-degree kidnapping, aggravated criminal extortion, illegal discharge of a weapon, and conspiracy."
- As Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in the October 20 ICE press release, "In less than a week, the brave patriots of ICE have arrested more than 100 gang members across the country, including members of MS-13 and Tren de Aragua. The best that America has to offer are on the frontlines every day to ensure that the worst of humanity cannot threaten or harm innocent Americans." Mullin emphasized, "Under President Trump’s leadership, we are smashing the gangs and cartels, making it impossible for them to do business in America, and removing their members from our country. Arresting and deporting illegal aliens, especially gang members, is how we make America safe again."
- Since the beginning of the second Trump administration in January 2025, "ICE has made 12,018 gang-related administrative arrests," which include 1,965 affiliates of MS-13 and 1,553 affiliates of Tren de Aragua. The country is much safer as a result.
How We Fix It
- Participation in the 287(g) program that enables local and state officials to partner with federal agents for the purpose of enforcing federal immigration law should be encouraged and promoted. At the same time, sanctuary policies giving cover to dangerous criminal illegal aliens should be terminated.
- Continued exposure of the nexus between criminal activity and illegal immigration is essential to national security. For example, on September 11, ICE arrested Franklin Ariel Espinal-Cabrera, a high-ranking leader of the MS-13 gang. The 29-year-old illegal alien from El Salvador, whose criminal history includes illegal entry and a charge for unlawful possession of a weapon, is on the Department of Justice’s Terror Watchlist.
- Acts of violence against ICE agents must be vigorously challenged, thwarted, and prosecuted. Restoration News recently reported a 1,600 percent surge in physical assaults against ICE officers. Subsequent numbers from ICE show a growing assault risk marked by "a 3,300 percent increase in vehicle attacks and an 8,000 percent increase in death threats against them." Enabling ICE agents to carry out their congressionally mandated duties will only serve to improve public safety.
Individual threats against federal immigration agents have continued. ICE Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested Lisa White, of Mississippi, on an unspecified date in October after she allegedly made threats to kill ICE agents. ICE's October 21 press release describes how White inquired about the capacity of certain firearms to penetrate ballistic vests. Apparently, White also said she would target the heads of agents if she could not penetrate their armor.
MORE FROM RESTORATION NEWS:
California Refuses to Check 20,000 Likely Noncitizen Voters as DOJ Sues to Protect American Votes
Will the Liberal Pollsters Be Wrong… Again?
Conservatives, Change the Narrative On 'Affordability' to Win. Here's How
Inside Oregon’s School Shooting: Good Samaritans Stand Against Evil
