ICE says Tren de Aragua member arrested: 'This Venezuelan noncitizen represented a significant threat'

A Venezualan Tren de Aragua member in the U.S. unlawfully was arrested earlier this month by authorities with ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations, according to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement press release, which notes that the individual had been arrested by the Cicero Police Department last month but was released.

"On Feb. 24, the Cicero Police Department arrested Rodriguez-Carmona for the offenses of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, no firearms identification card, driving without a license or insurance, and possession of adult use cannabis in a motor vehicle. Rodriguez-Carmona was later released," the ICE press release noted. "On March 11, ERO officers arrested the 29-year-old without incident outside his residence. Rodriguez-Carmona is currently in the Dodge County Detention Facility in Juneau, Wisconsin, pending immigration removal proceedings."

"This Venezuelan noncitizen represented a significant threat to the residents of our communities," ERO Chicago Assistant Field Office Director Raymond Hernandez noted, according to the release. "Not only is he a validated member of a transnational street gang, but he also displayed a willingness to unlawfully discharge a firearm in public. ERO Chicago will continue to prioritize public safety by removing such threats from our streets."

"On July 7, 2023, an immigration judge issued a final order of removal for Rodriguez-Carmona in absentia," the press release noted.

Multiple Republican lawmakers recently joined a letter pressing President Joe Biden to designate Tren de Aragua "as a Transnational Criminal Organization." In the letter, the lawmakers say that Tren de Aragua has perpetrated heinous activities such as human trafficking, murder, and more.

"Tren de Aragua is an invading criminal army from a prison in Venezuela that has spread their brutality and chaos to U.S. cities and small towns," the letter declares. "The breadth of Tren de Aragua's operations encompasses murder, drug and human trafficking, sex crimes, extortion, and kidnapping, among other brutalities. It is clear that most state and local law enforcement agencies are not yet prepared to handle the magnitude of this grave threat."

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Editor's note: This first sentence was updated on 3/25/24 at 11:57 p.m. CST to correct miswording. The original sentence read: "A Venezualan Tren de Aragua member in the U.S. was unlawfully arrested ..."