Illegal Aliens Who Attacked NYPD Identified As Members Of Violent Venezuelan Gang
According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, at least two of the illegal aliens who were arrested for brutally attacking two New York Police Department (NYPD) officers last month have been confirmed to be members of the violent Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua.
ICE agents arrested 21-year-old Wilson Juarez and 19-year-old Kelvin Servita-Arocha at a Bronx apartment. The two illegal aliens, who officials have confirmed are members of the Venezuelan gang, are currently being held without bail by ICE.
In a Tuesday statement to the New York Post, ICE spokesperson Marie Ferguson explained that both of the “unlawfully present Venezuelan citizens have been charged in conjunction with the violent gang assault carried out on two NYPD officers [and] are currently detailed without bond.”
“Both noncitizens have been identified as members of the Tren de Aragua transnational criminal organization,” she added.
ICE officials further explained that Arocha will have his custody status re-evaluated after being arrested on a warrant. Meanwhile, Juarez has been detained thanks to a deportation order issued a year ago by a judge in El Paso, Texas.
The pair of gang members were allegedly part of the crowd of illegal aliens who brutally attacked two NYPD officers on January 27, with viral footage of the attack showing the officers being repeatedly kicked and punched in the heads by the crowd of violent illegal aliens, who then fled the scene on foot.
Notoriously soft-on-crime Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg faced intense backlash from both sides of the aisle after releasing all of the illegal aliens accused of attacking the officers without bail and allowing several of them to flee the state. Bragg has since announced new charges for the illegal aliens in response to the backlash, with Arocha being charged with two counts of assault and Juarez facing a class E felony for allegedly tampering with physical evidence. Reports indicate that as many as 14 suspects took part in the attack, and at least one of the suspects remains at large.
Amid the increase in Tren de Aragua’s presence in New York City and across the U.S., it is still unclear whether the entire group of attackers was part of the violent Venezuelan gang.
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that Tren de Aragua is responsible for numerous crimes in New York City, including a string of more than 62 robberies that involved gang members on mopeds snatching cellphones from women across four of the city’s five boroughs.
According to a report from the New York Post earlier this week, New York’s National Guard has been advised to check every illegal alien entering New York City for gang-affiliated tattoos.
“It’s to a point that they had to post policies on use of force like if we were in a combat zone,” a National Guard source told the news outlet.
An alert to members of New York’s National Guard stated: “Given the potential threat posed by TdA’s growing presence in the city, the [NYPD Intelligence and Counter Terrorism Bureau] recommends members of the service maintain situational awareness of symbols and iconography used by the gang to identify local activity and trends.”
Guard members were also instructed to “coordinate with your precinct Field Intelligence Team” upon discovering an illegal alien with the gang tattoos.
It has also been alleged by an FBI source that Tren de Aragua may be allying itself with the vicious MS-13 gang.
“While these gangs wouldn’t normally mix, it’s always going to be a concern as the gang [Tren de Aragua] expands in strength and establishes a foothold,” John Morales, a senior FBI agent, told the New York Post. “Right now we are working with our local law enforcement partners and sharing intelligence in order to stop the growth of Tren de Aragua.”
