Arrests Made in Human Trafficking Operation in San Antonio
Authorities announced that about 140 undocumented immigrants were apprehended during a crackdown on a sex and human trafficking operation in San Antonio. This operation was reportedly linked to the Tren de Aragua gang (TdA).
Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated that this raid was a collaborative effort involving the Texas Department of Public Safety along with federal and local law enforcement agencies.
On the same day, a regional Homeland Security Task Force was established, aimed at tackling transnational criminal organizations.
The task force’s mission includes dismantling drug cartels, foreign terrorist groups, and criminal networks involved in human trafficking, drug smuggling, and money laundering.
This recent operation aligns with President Donald Trump’s executive order from January 20 that focused on combating transnational criminal organizations.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested over 140 individuals from Venezuela, Honduras, Mexico, and other South American nations.
Multiple federal agencies collaborated in this operation.
Jonathan Pullen, Special Agent in Charge of the Houston Field Office, remarked, “Thanks to the Homeland Security Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is able to leverage its advanced investigative capabilities, which have been crucial in dismantling some of the most violent drug trafficking networks both domestically and internationally.”
He emphasized the importance of working together with federal and state partners to address the drug traffickers that negatively impact communities.
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), whose brother previously served as the mayor of San Antonio, expressed that he has reached out to the Justice Department and local officials for further details on the raid. He noted concerns that similar operations in other areas have led to the arrest of individuals, both U.S. citizens and immigrants, who lacked prior criminal records.
In a separate incident in Houston, ICE detained 3,500 undocumented individuals—including some categorized as child predators and murderers—during a 43-day government shutdown.
Among those arrested were 13 convicted murderers, 51 child predators, 67 sex offenders, and 23 gang members, which included an MS-13 member charged with a triple homicide in Dallas, according to officials.
