Two suspected members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua are in federal custody after a targeted operation in El Paso on Tuesday, according to the El Paso Sector Border Patrol. Agents working with Homeland Security Investigations and ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations acted as a house, where they arrested the men. Authorities said both were in the United States illegally and will be removed from the country. Officials have not released their names or announced any criminal charges.
The arrests surfaced publicly when the El Paso Sector Border Patrol posted a short video of the takedown on X and described it as a “targeted operation” by its Targeting Unit alongside HSI and ICE/ERO, as reported by KVIA. The station noted that the arrests happened at a home and that sector officials said the suspects will be removed from the country.
Part of a wider federal push
The El Paso arrests come in the middle of a broader multi-state enforcement campaign. In early May, the Department of Justice announced charges against more than two dozen alleged Tren de Aragua members and said investigators recovered firearms and kilograms of narcotics, according to the Department of Justice. Federal officials described those cases as coordinated actions by task forces that include HSI, the ATF and the FBI and linked them to an interagency Homeland Security Task Force.
What is Tren de Aragua?
Tren de Aragua originated inside Venezuelan prisons and has expanded across the hemisphere. U.S. officials designated the group a Foreign Terrorist Organisation in February 2025. The designation, laid out in the Federal Register and related State Department notices, connects the group to human smuggling, extortion, drug trafficking and other violent crimes, according to the Federal Register.
Legal status and next steps
The El Paso Sector Border Patrol’s post on X said the two suspects will be removed from the United States and that ICE/ERO will take custody for immigration processing. Removal typically precedes deportation unless prosecutors decide to pursue criminal charges. In that situation, defendants can face federal court action as well. The sector’s initial details were posted on X by the El Paso Sector Border Patrol.
Local context
El Paso has recently seen several federal anti-smuggling and gang operations, including a late April stash-house takedown that led to multiple arrests and new migrant-smuggling charges. That raid, along with a series of federal investigations around the city, helps explain why El Paso remains a focal point for interagency enforcement efforts; see Border Feds Bust El Paso Stash House.
Officials have released limited details so far. KVIA and the Border Patrol post provided the initial operational report, and this story will be updated as federal agencies and local authorities release more information.
