Two Guatemalan illegal immigrants are accused of human trafficking after police found two women at a residence in Lake Worth Beach that was "actively being used as a brothel," according to authorities.

Yudvin and Glin Zunigalatin are charged with human trafficking, deriving proceeds from prostitution, holding a house of ill fame and resisting, according to county records. Glin Zunigalatin is also charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and sexual battery.

Authorities initially responded to the suspects' residence after they received a phone call around 7:45 a.m. on Feb. 9 from a young woman who reported being held against her will, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said in a press release. 

The caller "stated she was sexually assaulted, she was at a club and that someone was going to kill her and she doesn’t want to die," an arrest warrant states.

CHINA EXPANDS INFLUENCE NEAR WEALTHY FLORIDA ENCLAVE AS MIGRANTS FROM COMMUNIST COUNTRY FLOOD INTO US

The woman was unaware of her exact location but said she had been confined in a house for multiple days by two men, the sheriff's office said. 

Deputies were able to trace the call to a densely populated area and searching for signs of unusual activity. Eventually, they observed two males exhibiting "suspicious behavior" outside a residence located on the 1400 block of Lake Ave, Lake Worth Beach. Police said in the arrest warrant that the residence was "actively being used as a brothel" and was part of a "larger brothel case."

FLORIDA OFF-DUTY CORRECTIONS OFFICER KILLED IN ‘TARGETED’ ATTACK: ‘WE ARE DISTRAUGHT’

When deputies made contact with the two men, they "appeared nervous." 

"A third unknown male was complying with lawful order and was asked to step outside. Once he went outside he took off running and disappeared," the arrest warrant states.

Authorities were able to "visually confirm the presence of a female inside the residence" and made entry into the home. They rescued two victims of a "potential human trafficking operation" and arrested Yudvin and Glin Zunigalatin.

FLORIDA SHERIFF ASKS TRUMP'S ICE TO REMOVE BIDEN-ERA ‘SHACKLES’

A preliminary investigation revealed that both victims were recruited under false pretenses and forced to perform sex acts.

The first victim told authorities that the brothers approached her at Miami International Airport and offered her a job making scam calls that would pay $200 per day. She apparently took them up on the offer, and they drove from the airport to the Lake Worth Beach home, where she was shown to her room and confined there for days. She alleged the brothers told her she could leave if she wanted, but she "would be hunted down and hurt," which she interpreted as killed.

The second victim told police that the suspects promised her a job cleaning houses in West Palm Beach. On what was supposed to be her first day of work, one of the suspects picked her up in his vehicle and drove her to the Lake Worth Beach residence, where he and another man made clear that she would instead be forced into prostitution. 

At one point, she said she overheard two men arguing outside her room with another victim, and one of the men said, "I will fill you with bullets," the arrest report states.

The suspects are being held on no bond, and authorities placed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers on both men.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested more than 7,400 people in nine days across several states amid its aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration since the new Trump administration came into office. 

ICE officers have been seen carrying out raids of homes, work sites, and other establishments, while deportations have also ramped up, with the Trump administration also vowing to send the most violent migrants to Guantánamo Bay.

According to a compilation of daily totals of arrests, as of Jan. 31, ICE has so far arrested 7,412 people who the agency says are in the country illegally. The agency says that nearly 6,000 ICE detainers have been placed on individuals.

NYC RESIDENTS PRAISE ICE RAIDS AFTER VIOLENT GANG MEMBER CAPTURED

ICE has posted nine daily arrest totals to X and has also posted details from various raids across sanctuary cities like New York City, Chicago and Boston where they have scooped up illegals accused of sex crimes against minors, rapes, guns and drug offenses, while violent gang members belonging to Tren de Aragua and MS-13 have also been taken off the streets. 

Border czar Tom Homan has said the administration is currently only targeting violent illegal aliens while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees ICE, says federal immigration authorities are arresting the "worst of the worst" in raids. She says the streets are now safer as a result.

Many of the ICE raids have been carried out alongside other federal agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Noem joined an immigration enforcement raid in New York City Tuesday morning in which officers picked up Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, 26, an alleged ringleader of the violent Tren de Aragua gang. Zambrano-Pacheco is the same man caught on camera in a viral video showing heavily armed men kicking down an apartment door at an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, last summer.

Luis Adolfo Guerra Perez, 19, a Guatemalan citizen and MS-13 gang member, was arrested by ICE in Massachusetts last week. He was facing state gun charges and had previously been ordered to be deported before he was released by a Boston court.

ICE has published details of more than 60 cases while the White House X account has posted details of at least 20 others.

NOEM SAYS 'WORST OF THE WORST' ARRESTED IN NYC RAID TARGETING CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

However, for the vast majority of the 7,412, details on their criminal histories are not yet available.

The arrests total come as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed that the "worst of the worst" criminal migrants will be temporarily housed at Guantánamo Bay detention camp and that "all options will be on the table" for military action against the cartels.

Hegseth made the announcement in an interview with "Fox and Friends" on Friday and it came on the heels of an announcement made by President Donald Trump on Wednesday that he will be instructing the Pentagon to prepare Guantánamo Bay to detain 30,000 "criminal illegal aliens."

"Today I'm also signing an executive order to instruct the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to begin preparing the 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantánamo Bay," Trump said. "Most people don't even know about it."

It was later learned that Trump signed a presidential memorandum, not an executive order, on the matter.

News of the arrests has been generally well-received by locals living in these areas. 

Ramses Frías, a local Queens activist who’s voiced concerns over a crime crisis gripping his neighborhood, which is partially represented by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said the raids have also been warmly received by the community.

"Many residents, from immigrants to citizens, welcome ICE coming in and taking the criminals out of these communities," Frías, a city council candidate, told Fox News Digital. "They welcome law and order and want safe streets."

However, not everyone agreed with the raids and Mayor Brandon Johnson recently "reaffirmed" his commitment to keep Chicago a sanctuary city, as did Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. 

While legislators in the Democratic trifecta are trying to pass bills to "Trump-proof" the state, California Republican Kate Sanchez plans to introduce a bill that would crack down on what may be a "sanctuary state" loophole protecting criminal illegal immigrants involved in sex-trafficking minors.

"It would eliminate all of the unnecessary restrictions for local law enforcement to cooperate with federal law enforcement in order to go after those that have been accused or convicted of sex trafficking of minors, and currently there is a clause that they cannot communicate as openly as possible," Sanchez told Fox News Digital in an interview. 

NEWSOM BILL COULD SPEND TAX MONEY TO DEFEND ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM TRUMP DEPORTATION PUSH: CA LAWMAKER

These restrictions are part of California's "sanctuary state" policies, which are designed to limit state and local law enforcement's involvement in federal immigration enforcement. For her part, the specific provisions that Sanchez wants to amend are found in the California Values Act (SB 54), which was enacted in 2017, that restricts local law enforcement agencies from using resources to investigate, interrogate, detain, detect or arrest individuals for immigration enforcement purposes. 

There are exceptions in SB 54 for individuals convicted of certain serious or violent crimes. However, sex trafficking is not always classified as a violent felony under California law – making it so that some convicted sex traffickers may not meet the criteria for local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities – potentially thwarting deportation efforts.

Sanchez argues this creates a loophole that could allow illegal immigrants who are involved in sex trafficking to remain in the U.S. after serving their sentence. In 2023, Newsom signed Senate Bill 14 (SB 14), reclassifying the trafficking of a minor as a "serious" felony, but other forms of human trafficking may still not be considered violent felonies under state law.

"So, we want to make sure we remove that piece of the penal code and allow them to communicate and do their job fully," Sanchez said. 

'DEVASTATING': CALIFORNIA HAD RECORD RAINFALL LAST YEAR, BUT LACKED INFRASTRUCTURE TO STORE IT

Sanchez's bill may align well with President Donald Trump's mass deportation plan currently underway, but it faces an uphill battle in her state legislature, which is dominated by Democrats. Currently, Democratic assemblymembers – in collaboration with Newsom – are trying to pass a series of bills that would bolster the state's legal defense against the Trump administration. The State Senate already passed the bills last week.

Democrats were set to pass the $50 million special session bill Thursday, but Assembly lawmakers reportedly blocked the package over concerns that there may be changes that need to be made to the immigration-related proposal. At issue is Newsom's $25 million allocation for nonprofit organizations to defend illegal immigrants from deportation, and whether those funds would be used as well for criminal illegal immigrants. 

Newsom's office told Fox News Digital previously that no funds would go to criminal illegal immigrants. 

NEWSOM PROPOSES $25M FROM STATE LEGISLATURE TO 'TRUMP-PROOF' CALIFORNIA

Newsom called a special legislative session quickly after Trump's electoral victory to secure additional funding for the state's legal defense against the administration. Reacting to the development on his TruthSocial account at the time, Trump said, "He is using the term 'Trump-Proof' as a way of stopping all of the GREAT things that can be done to 'Make California Great Again,' but I just overwhelmingly won the Election."

Sanchez – who says she has been shut out of the legislature's Hispanic Caucus because she's a Republican – said the legislature should be focusing on "fireproofing" the state, or rather, "Newsom-proofing California." 

"Take it for what it's worth, but I genuinely feel like there are victims and there are people in need that we should be advocating for protecting our most vulnerable, protecting the innocence of our children," Sanchez said. "It is an uphill battle in Sacramento, but I do feel the tide is turning, and I know we will be looking to our federal counterparts to be helpful in this matter as well."

Fox News Digital has reached out to Newsom's office for comment.

EXCLUSIVE: The FBI is on the ground working alongside agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other law enforcement bodies conducting a nationwide crackdown on criminal aliens ordered by President Donald Trump, photos obtained by Fox News Digital reveal.

"I've talked to every single one of our special agents in charge of all 55 of our divisions," acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll told Fox News Digital on Thursday. "I know that every single one of them has reached out to their DHS counterparts to offer assistance and support. So we here at the FBI are really leaning forward to assist DHS the best that we can, to stand shoulder-to-shoulder."

The FBI's presence bolsters Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and other partner agencies with the bureau's vast resources, including tactical teams and its intelligence network. 

VP VANCE DOUBLES DOWN ON WHITE HOUSE GOAL TO GET CRIMINAL MIGRANTS OFF THE STREETS

Those resources worked alongside DHS agents in New York City earlier this week, helping identify and capture dozens of "the worst of the worst" suspects, including a 25-year-old suspected Tren de Aragua gang member.

He is believed to have been involved in a violent incident in Colorado before police found him Monday in a Bronx apartment across the street from a school.

MIGRANT TDA GANG MEMBER BREAKS OFFICER'S ARM AS 10 INDICTED IN MASSIVE GUNS, DRUG RUNNING OPERATION: POLICE

And they extend across the country.

In El Paso, Texas, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, ICE and agents from its Enforcement Removal Operations wing were seen on the ground as part of a mission that led to the capture of a suspect accused of running a stash house for human smugglers.

CHINESE MIGRANTS FLOOD SOUTH FLORIDA VIA BOAT AS AUTHORITIES SEEK HELP WITH CUBAN SMUGGLERS

"Our best chance to protect Americans, whether it's from the threats posed by groups like ISIS or in our efforts to dismantle groups like Tren de Aragua, the best way to do that is to put our heads together, our tools together, our efforts together with DHS, but also with all of our United States intelligence community and law enforcement partners around the country," Driscoll said.

In a series of targeted raids in Chicago, the FBI provided not just intelligence and tactical SWAT team members, but also legal experts to help round up illegal immigrants with suspected criminal ties.

In New York, they provided "advanced tactical support" and helped set up a crisis management coordination center covering the whole city.

"We are and will remain postured to support DHS the best that we can over here at the FBI," Driscoll said.

Operations across the country over the past seven days have netted roughly 5,500 suspected criminal aliens, according to figures released by ICE.

Federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and their partners conducted nationwide roundups of more than 1,200 illegal immigrants over the weekend who were charged or convicted with committing crimes on American soil.

In a series of photos shared by ICE Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) from coast to coast, agents can be seen taking handcuffed suspects away.

In Atlanta, which is more than 1,000 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border but became a lightning rod in the immigration debate after an illegal immigrant brutally murdered a jogging college student in broad daylight, ERO teamed up with the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Homeland Security Investigations to grab "criminal aliens" off the streets and prepare them for deportation flights.

COLOMBIAN LEADER QUICKLY CAVES AFTER TRUMP THREATS, OFFERS PRESIDENTIAL PLANE FOR DEPORTATION FLIGHTS

Miami-based federal agents arrested at least four illegal immigrants accused of committing crimes on U.S. soil over the weekend, including a Nicaraguan jailed in Broward County for an alleged shooting.

Up north, a joint operation including ICE, the FBI, ATF, DEA, Border Patrol and U.S. Marshals was underway in Chicago, a struggling blue city where Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson has vowed to "protect" illegals from enforcement operations.

The "enhanced targeted operations" in the Windy City were designed to "enforce U.S. immigration law and preserve public safety and national security by keeping potentially dangerous criminal aliens out of our communities," ICE said in a statement.

Boston ERO announced the arrest of a Haitian man with 17 criminal convictions in Massachusetts, suspected gang member Wisteguens Charles.

TRUMP DHS REPEALS KEY MAYORKAS MEMO LIMITING ICE AGENTS, ORDERS PAROLE REVIEW

"Mr. Charles is illegally present in the United States and has consistently broken our laws, causing significant harm to the residents of Massachusetts," Patricia Hyde, the acting director of the Boston Field Office, said in a statement. "ERO Boston will not tolerate the repeated victimization of our New England neighborhoods. We will continue our mission to apprehend such illegal alien offenders and remove them from our communities."

Charles, 25, first entered the U.S. illegally in 2013 and between 2022 and 2024, he racked up 17 criminal convictions. ICE filed an immigration detainer request in 2023, but a Massachusetts jail ignored it and released him back into the community, authorities said. 

The arrests come as part of what ICE said would be an operation targeting "known criminal aliens who threaten national security or public safety."

President Donald Trump campaigned heavily on border security after his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, appeared ineffective or unwilling to stop an influx of illegal immigration for years. 

By the time he finally acknowledged the issue, a wave of high-profile migrant crimes had shocked the country and shattered victims’ families. The parents of some of those murdered American women and girls went to Capitol Hill to lobby for the Laken Riley Act, the first bill Congress sent to Trump after his return to the White House.

HECKLERS SHOUT DOWN ATHENS MAYOR AS HE DENIES SANCTUARY CITY, ANNOUNCES PUBLIC SAFETY FUNDS

Riley, a 21-year-old Georgia nursing student, was brutally killed at random while jogging in Athens, about 75 miles east of Atlanta, by a Venezuelan illegal with suspected ties to the Tren de Aragua gang. 

Jose Ibarra, 26, was convicted of 10 counts in November and sentenced to life without parole. He had entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and received border parole, freeing him to travel within the country.

He racked up criminal charges in New York City, where authorities released him before ICE could lodge a detainer. He then made his way to Georgia, where he attacked and murdered Riley.  

"Removing criminal aliens from our communities isn’t just enforcement — it’s protection," HSI's Atlanta office said in a statement over the weekend as part of the deportation sweep. "Ensuring the safety and security of our neighborhoods starts with upholding the law."

Fox News' Heather Lacy contributed to this report.

On Monday, Donald Trump made history. 

Then, he immediately made policy, issuing plenty of strong executive orders to begin reforming our government and enforcing our laws subverted by the Biden administration. Republicans in Congress must do our part to support President Trump by sending a constant supply of solidly conservative legislation to be signed into law at his desk. 

During the election, President Trump made several key promises to the American people. Fortunately, Congress stands ready to deliver on these promises immediately. 

With President Trump’s leadership, we will secure our southern border, swiftly deport illegal aliens, prosecute vile criminals, and end the tyranny of unelected bureaucrats. We will bring opportunity to the hardworking families of America and achieve prosperity for the nation.

DONALD TRUMP IS OUR PRESIDENT AND DEMOCRATS HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO

To start repairing the grave damage inflicted by Joe Biden, Congress should pass the SAVE Act. Doing so would prevent illegal, non-citizen voting by requiring ID to register to vote and cast ballots in federal elections. Congress should also pass the VALID Act, which forbids the Department of Homeland Security from admitting illegals and shuttling them around the country using the CBP One app.

The America First Act – which forbids giving federal benefits to illegals that the Biden administration let into our country – should also be a top priority. And of course, we must provide resources for additional border security, Border Patrol and ICE agents, and logistical operations to return millions of undocumented foreign nationals to their home countries.

Perhaps an even bigger task than building walls and battling cartels will be permanently uprooting the rogue federal employees who have become accustomed to running the government from within the deep state. 

TRUMP’S (SECOND) FIRST 100 DAYS GIVES DEMOCRATS OPPORTUNITIES

The REINS Act was crafted precisely to take control from unelected bureaucrats and return it to the people via their elected representatives. It requires that lawmaking be done by lawmakers as Article I, Section 7 of the U.S. Constitution mandates, preventing agencies from foisting expensive and destructive regulations upon the American people.

Addressing the affordability crisis for American families will require more than stopping expensive regulations. We need to let Americans keep more of their own money and invest it back into businesses and jobs by reauthorizing one of President Trump’s original policy victories, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. 

We should also tackle the hidden tax hitting everyone’s wallets – inflation. This means that legislators will face the single hardest decision in Washington politics: to say "no" when confronted with problematic, omnibus spending bills written in secret and not subjected to adequate debate and discussion.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE OPINION NEWSLETTER

The clock is ticking. Our razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives is guaranteed for only two years, and it’s an unfortunate reality that the second year will be full of recesses for members to campaign for re-election. That means even less time for legislating. 

We cannot afford to repeat 2018, when Democrats took the House and crippled our ability to pass President Trump’s legislative agenda during the second half of his term. Republicans must act quickly. 

Fortunately, our leadership seems to have the sense of urgency it lacked eight years ago. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., insists on a full Monday–Friday work week, and sometimes through weekends. This means no more flying home for long weekends, which was the norm under Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and the House have already passed the Laken Riley Act, which mandates immediate federal detention for certain criminal illegal immigrants. The Senate passed its version as soon as President Trump took office. A good start.

Over 77 million Americans returned Donald Trump to the White House after watching him endure lawfare, political persecution, endless slander by corporate media and liberal politicians, and multiple assassination attempts. If Republicans in Congress wish to earn their loyalty and share in that defiant mandate, we must immediately work to advance the MAGA agenda.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM SEN. MIKE LEE

In one of the first moves of his administration, President Donald Trump signed an executive order taking drastic steps to crack down on the violent Venezuelan migrant gang "Tren de Aragua," which has been terrorizing American cities in recent months.

Also known as "TdA," Tren de Aragua is a Venezuelan criminal group present in over a dozen U.S. cities. The group has ties to the socialist Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and according to experts, is being used as a tool of asymmetric warfare to sow chaos and discord in the U.S.

Jose Gustavo Arocha, a former high-ranking Venezuelan military official and senior fellow at the U.S.-based Center for a Secure Free Society, told Fox News Digital that Trump’s order was an "extraordinary move" that is the "first good step in the route to neutralize TdA."

The order – which is titled "Designating Cartels And Other Organizations As Foreign Terrorist Organizations And Specially Designated Global Terrorists" – instructs newly confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to move to designate Tren de Aragua, as well as Mexican gang MS-13 and other migrant gangs as "foreign terrorist organizations."

WHO IS TREN DE ARAGUA? VICIOUS VENEZUELAN GANG 'FOLLOWING IN THE PATH OF MS-13' IN AMERICA

A foreign terrorist designation expands the government’s ability to crack down on criminal groups operating in the U.S., allowing all government agencies, including the Department of the Treasury, to target that group from every angle.  

The order states that these groups "present an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States," and invokes the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEP) to declare a national emergency to "deal with those threats."

"It is the policy of the United States to ensure the total elimination of these organizations’ presence in the United States and their ability to threaten the territory, safety, and security of the United States through their extraterritorial command-and-control structures, thereby protecting the American people and the territorial integrity of the United States," reads the order.

The order gives Rubio 14 days to make policy recommendations – in consultation with the secretaries of the Treasury and Homeland Security as well as the U.S. attorney general and director of National Intelligence – to make a recommendation regarding the designation of TdA, MS-13 and any other group as a foreign terrorist organization.

TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT DESIGNATES VENEZUELAN GANG, TREN DE ARAGUA, AS A FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION

According to Arocha, this move could spell the beginning of the end for TdA’s reign of terror in the United States.

"This executive order that Trump signed is perfect to neutralize unconventional tools that were made by the Venezuela regime," he said. "The TdA is an asymmetrical and unconventional tool to harm the United States, [and] not only the United States, all the region … [so] you have to use unconventional tools, too."

Joseph Humire, executive director of the Center for a Secure Free Society who in 2024 authored a report on how to dismantle TdA, explained to Fox News Digital that designating these groups as foreign terrorist organizations places them "at the highest level" of U.S. national security interest, meaning their funding and any organizations enabling them can be targeted as well.

"Trump just put all of them on notice," said Humire. "This said: ‘We know you're here; we know you're up to no good and we're going to come after you.'"

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"Now critics may say, well, he's going to create a war on terror or drugs, and it's really a reaction of fear. They say: 'Oh, you know, these guys are so dangerous.' And what you know about criminality, whether it's terrorism or any kind of criminality, is that they only respond to strength. They prey on fear. If they think you're scared to attack you more," he said. "So, by showing this strength, it's the first action of deterrence."

In addition to sending a message of strength, Humire said the executive order signals that there will be "meaningful action taking place really, really soon to start to arrest and dismantle" TdA’s presence in the U.S.

Andrew Arthur, a law and policy expert at the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News Digital that one of the most important aspects of designating TdA a foreign terrorist organization is enabling the U.S. government to target TdA’s funding, which he said can essentially "bleed them dry."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

"Money is the lifeblood of these organizations," he said. "It's really the funding element of all this that is crucial to going after a terrorist organization, because if you cut them off from the money, they're not going to be able to pay people. They're not going to be able to pay bribes to corrupt officials, they are not going to be able to pay their foot soldiers, are not going to be able to buy the big guns and the things that they used to operate."

"It's not just the guy with the AK-47 or the guy with the IED that's a terrorist. It's all those people that helped to make that possible," he went on. "So, when you designate them as terrorist organizations, in addition to going after the keepers or the kingpins of these organizations and the various foot soldiers that they employ, you can also go after the individuals who provide material support."

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., drilled into a migrant rights activist in a heated moment during a Senate hearing on the "Remain in Mexico" policy on Thursday for what he said amounted to downplaying the murder of Laken Riley and for saying migrant crime is "not an actual issue."

"In March of 2024, you wrote: ‘The murder of a nursing student in Georgia has a lot of people on the right talking about migrant crime like it's an actual issue,’" said Hawley. 

Riley was a 22-year-old nursing student at Augusta University who was found dead on the University of Georgia's campus in February. Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old illegal immigrant, was found guilty of 10 total counts, including felony murder. He initially pleaded not guilty but was ultimately sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in November.

"Here's Laken Riley," said Hawley as her picture was posted behind him. "Her murder, her horrific murder at the hands of this illegal migrant who was also unlawfully paroled in the United States. [Is] her death not an actual issue?"

LAKEN RILEY ACT OVERCOMES FILIBUSTER IN SENATE AS DEMS GIVE GOP HELPING HAND

The activist, Adam Isacson, who works as director of defense oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America, responded by saying: "Of course it’s an issue, it’s a tragedy."

"I didn’t say that Laken Riley’s death was not an actual issue, I said that migrant crime is not an actual issue," said Isacson. "Migrant crime is much less of an issue than U.S. citizen-committed crime."

To which Hawley answered, "[Riley] is dead because of migrant crime."

Hawley also pointed to the case of a St. Louis-area 12-year-old named Travis Wolfe who was killed in a car crash involving an illegal immigrant.

"I happen to think that their violent murders are actual issues," he said. "And the fact that you would say otherwise, sit here and advise the Senate that the Laken Riley Act is a bad idea, that the whole thing is not an actual issue, it’s all just, what, made up? I think [it] is outrageous. I think it's absolutely outrageous."

SENATE DEMS TO JOIN REPUBLICANS TO ADVANCE ANTI-ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION BILL NAMED AFTER LAKEN RILEY

Isacson, who said he was invited to testify in the hearing by a Democratic member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said that the bipartisan Laken Riley Act, which has already passed in the House and would require ICE to arrest and detain illegal immigrants that have committed a crime, "could do a lot of harm" and "would allow me to say: ‘oh, this person shoplifted.’ And that would be enough probable cause to get somebody deported."

Hawley shot back: "I want the record to be clear on this, that migrant crime is a real issue."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

"I think the Laken Riley Act is absolutely necessary," he said. "In fact, I propose an amendment to the Laken Riley Act that will cover people like Travis Wolfe. I think that ICE ought to be detaining, ought to be required to detain, those illegal migrants who commit violent crimes against children like Travis Wolfe."

Speaking to Fox News Digital after the hearing, another one of the experts testifying, Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge and law and policy expert at the Center for Immigration Studies, said that Hawley was "voicing the frustration that very many Americans feel about migrant crime in the United States."

FOX NEWS POLL: MAJORITIES SUPPORT MEASURES TO STRENGTHEN BORDER SECURITY AS THE ISSUE INCREASES IN IMPORTANCE

"We've seen many not only high profile but shocking crimes that have been carried out in the United States by migrants who were stopped at the border and then released into the United States," he said. "It's called the Department of Homeland Security for a reason; the purpose of this department is to ensure that citizens of the United States and aliens who are lawfully here are protected from criminal predation. Unfortunately, on this at the border, the Biden-Harris administration dropped the ball."

"Individuals who are criminals, who by law should not be allowed into the United States at all, were actually released into this country and now they are free to prey on both migrant and citizen communities in this country," Arthur added. "So, job one for Tom Homan — Donald Trump's border czar — and the president himself is going to be rounding up, detaining and removing all the criminal aliens, all the individuals who are preying upon both migrant and citizen communities in this country."

Despite the theatrics, Arthur said it was a "good hearing" because there was "a lot of bipartisan agreement on the need to secure the border." 

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"Customs and Border Protection referred to Remain in Mexico as indispensable for border security the first time that it was used under the Trump administration," he said. "I think that when you look at the amount of money that has flowed into the cartels' pockets over the last four years, you know, as we've seen, 8 million, 10 million people come unlawfully into the United States and you contrast that to the number of people who were sent back to Mexico, I think that the balance is definitely in favor of enforcing the border and potentially re-implementing Remain in Mexico.

"As long as the migrants continue to come to the United States in large numbers, the cartels are going to get rich, they're just going to expand their capabilities and they're just going to ship more drugs into the United States." 

According to Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, the state’s efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and Tren de Aragua (TdA) migrant gang activity have reduced illegal crossings by nearly 90% and resulted in close to 50,000 criminal arrests.

Abbott’s office said that the Texas-led campaign called "Operation Lonestar," which was first launched in March 2021 and has seen the participation of over a dozen other Republican states, has led to 530,400 illegal immigrant apprehensions and over 49,900 criminal arrests, with more than 42,900 felony charges.

During this operation, Texas also became the first state to build a border wall on its own, continuing border wall construction at strategic points despite President Biden putting a stop to it in the early days of his administration.

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"Our top priority is the safety and security of Texans, including against the growing threat of Tren de Aragua," Abbott said on X. "We will not allow this gang to operate or gain a foothold in Texas."

The governor’s office also said that during Operation Lonestar, Texas law enforcement seized over 620 million lethal doses of fentanyl, which they said is "enough to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States, Mexico, and Canada combined."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

The office noted that Abbott designated TdA, whose violent crime has been sweeping across the nation, a foreign terrorist organization and launched a strike team to target, identify and arrest members of the group.

Texas Department of Public Safety troopers arrested four TdA members crossing the border on New Year's Eve, one of whom was identified as a possible high-ranking member of the gang.

TREN DE ARAGUA BELIEVED TO BE BEHIND MURDER OF IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL NEAR BORDER

The statement also said that Texas has transported a total of 119,400 migrants to Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver and Los Angeles, all of which have migrant sanctuary policies in place.

Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesperson for Abbott, told Fox News Digital that Operation Lone Star has cost Texas more than $11 billion, all of which was spent on efforts to secure the border, including deploying thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers and DPS troopers, transporting migrants to sanctuary cities, installing strategic barriers, cracking down against violent gangs like TdA, and building new border wall.

"Because of these efforts, Texas has decreased illegal crossings into the state by 87%," said Mahaleris. "Texas has held the line against the Biden-Harris border crisis for the past four years, and Governor Abbott looks forward to continuing to work closely with President Trump and his incoming administration to protect our state and the nation." 

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey is hardening her approach to the state’s migrant crisis in the face of mounting safety concerns and just days before President-elect Trump is sworn into office.

Healey, a Democrat, is proposing drastic changes to how the state houses migrants by proposing that all families staying in emergency shelters be in the country legally, with rare exceptions. The move would effectively prevent new migrants from staying in state shelters. 

The change, which comes after a review of the state’s right-to-shelter law, would see all shelter applicants be required to show that they are either a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident or are here "under the color of law." Exceptions are made for households that include children who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.

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The governor is also looking to strengthen background checks for anyone staying at a shelter by requiring them to disclose criminal convictions in the state and elsewhere. 

Her proposal would require applicants to verify their identity, residency and immigration status before being housed. Currently, shelter applicants are allowed to be housed before providing any documentation. 

It would also limit those qualifying due to evictions to the state, not anywhere in the country. For instance, this would eliminate a scenario where a migrant is evicted in another state and then comes to Massachusetts and gets shelter benefits.

"I believe these changes are appropriate and needed to ensure the long-term sustainability of the state shelter system in a way that aligns with the original intent of the law," Healey said in a statement. "In addition, these proposed changes will allow us to continue to ensure the safety of our system, support cities and towns in addressing the needs of unhoused families in their communities and put us on the path toward a more fiscally sustainable shelter system."

The moves come amid safety concerns at the state’s shelters and various crimes being linked to illegal migrants in the state. Records from the state indicate there have been hundreds of serious incidents at the shelters, including rapes.

Last month, an illegal immigrant was allegedly caught with an AR-15 and about $1 million worth of fentanyl in a state-subsidized hotel room. An El Salvadoran illegal immigrant was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a child while Immigration and Customs Enforcement has seen a recent spike in illegal immigrants arrested for sex crimes in the Boston area and throughout Massachusetts.

Healey said in November that her state police will "absolutely not" be cooperating with the expected mass deportation effort by the incoming Trump administration, warning that she will use "every tool in the toolbox" to "protect" residents in the blue state.

Healey’s new proposals about after a review of the state’s right to shelter law, "continued inaction by Congress and no assistance from the federal government."

The proposals need to be approved by the legislature, and Healey outlined her recommendations in a letter to the Senate President, Speaker, and House and Senate Ways and Means Chairs, urging the changes to be in the Emergency Assistance (EA) Supplemental Budget.

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She recently announced that the administration will phase out the use of hotels and motels as shelters by the end of 2025.

Massachusetts adopted its Right to Shelter law 40 years ago, which was designed to provide housing for families in need, specifically pregnant women and children experiencing homelessness. 

In recent years, migrants have sought shelter under this law which has overwhelmed its shelter system. Last year, Healey declared a state of emergency in the state due to the surge and called for federal action. She also acknowledged that the state’s policies may be a draw for migrants.

Migrants were even sleeping on the floors of Boston's Logan International Airport as the shelter system became overcrowded. 

About 50,000 migrants have come to the state since 2021, according to. July report by the Center for Immigration Studies. 

Democratic House Speaker Ronald Mariano said the new proposal is in line with what lawmakers have been trying to do.

"From the outset of the shelter system crisis, the House has consistently led the effort to ensure that the Commonwealth’s emergency assistance program could remain financially viable in the long-term, resulting in reforms that capped the maximum length of stay, and that required job training for individuals in the shelter system," he said in a statement, per The Associated Press. 

Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr also welcomed the proposal. 

"With the growing consensus not only on Beacon Hill, but throughout the Commonwealth, that major changes are needed urgently, we have the opportunity to at last take actions that will make the system safer, more accountable and transparent, and more sustainable," Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr said in a statement.

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Massachusetts' Republican Party in August accused Healey of quietly having spent over $1 billion on the state’s migrant crisis.

"The Healey-Driscoll Administration has shrouded nearly $1 billion spent in secrecy, leaving Massachusetts residents in the dark," Massachusetts Republican Party Chair Amy Carnevale said in a statement at the time. 

"They have withheld critical information on 600 incidents involving police, fire, and EMTs. Blocking journalists at every turn, the administration has obstructed the flow of information to the public."

After New York Mayor Eric Adams announced the planned opening of a massive, 2,000-bed migrant shelter in the South Bronx, Democratic Congressman Ritchie Torres slammed the decision, accusing Adams of treating the borough as an immigrant "dumping ground."

The mayor's office responded to Torres' accusation by pointing out that despite the new shelter being opened, they are planning to close 46 migrant shelters across the city and reduce the total shelter bed count by 10,000 by June. She noted that the Hall Street shelter in Brooklyn, one of the largest shelters being closed, housed 3,500 migrants. 

The office announced the new shelter last week while simultaneously claiming that the ongoing migrant crisis in New York City is waning. 

This comes as New York is set to close its sprawling tent shelter on Randalls Island and dozens of other shelters in the next few months. New York is a migrant sanctuary city and has a "right to shelter" law that requires the city to accommodate anyone seeking shelter who has no other option. However, in recent months, Adams has taken a different tone toward immigrants in the city and announced the closure of a string of migrant shelters. In last week's statement, Adams said the closures are part of the city’s efforts to find "more opportunities to save taxpayer money and turn the page on this unprecedented humanitarian crisis."

"Thanks to the administration’s successful asylum seeker management strategies and federal border policy changes the city advocated for that have continued to drive down the number of people in the city’s care for 27 straight weeks and reduce costs by nearly $2.8 billion over three fiscal years," the mayor's office said. 

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Meanwhile, the New York Post reported that it will cost the city between $250,000 and $340,000 to retrofit and prepare a 275,000-square-foot former office building in the Bronx to accommodate the expected thousands of men who will live in the new migrant shelter.  

The shelter’s location – 825 E. 141st St. – was renovated in 2017 and is near an infamous section of the Bronx called "the Hub," which is known for having a high volume of open drug use and activity, including the use of heroin and fentanyl. The building is owned by SoBro Local Development Corp., a nonprofit that’s stated mission is to "enhance the quality of life in the South Bronx by strengthening businesses and creating and implementing innovative economic, housing, educational, and career development programs for youth and adults."

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Adams’ announcement was not taken well by many Bronx residents. Many of the migrant shelters in the city have earned reputations as centers for violence, crime and gang activity from the likes of the international criminal group Tren de Aragua. The New York Post reported one 21-year-old Bronx resident named Serene Bilal saying: "Wrong move!… You need to work with the people already here. We have issues going on. Why the Bronx? Why pick on the Bronx?

"It’s going to be dangerous," Bilal told the outlet. "We don’t know who these people are. We are not talking about 10 people. We’re talking about thousands. That’s a lot."

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Torres, who is rumored to be considering a run for New York governor, also slammed the decision to place the new shelter in the Bronx.

"Instead of decisively dismantling open-air drug markets in the Hub, the City is treating the South Bronx as a dumping ground for an endless stream of shelters," Torres told Fox News Digital.

"The Bronx is treated differently from the rest of the city," he went on. "We are treated as the second-class borough of New York City."

Liz Garcia, a spokesperson for Adams, responded to Torres' criticisms by emphasizing that the overall number of shelters across the city and the tax burden on citizens is being significantly reduced. 

"I know that every elected official has specific people to speak to but we're really looking at it from a holistic lens," said Garcia. "The bigger picture here is we're closing 46 migrant sites, we are reducing our bed count by 10,000 beds across the city, not just the Bronx. And we're specifically closing shelters that are in oversaturated areas." 

She noted that the city's migrant shelter system was never meant to be permanent and noted the new Bronx shelter is also a temporary measure. 

In response to a question about when the Bronx shelter will close, Garcia said: "We don't have a specific timeline as to when it will close. It's a lease, so it won't be forever." 

She said that it will depend on the next migrant census taken by the city.

"For the past over six months now, we've seen a decline in our [migrant] census numbers. So if that continues, obviously there's not going to be a need for it," she said. "So, at some point it will close in the near future. It's just we still need places to put people while we have to help them take their next steps."

Michael Dorgan contributed to this report. 

Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu is keeping silent after an illegal immigrant was caught using a taxpayer-funded migrant shelter in the Boston suburbs for criminal activity, including storing a weapon and nearly $1 million worth of drugs.

Wu failed to respond to repeated requests for comment from Fox News Digital, despite the migrant shelter involved being just a short drive from Downtown Boston.

Leonardo Andujar Sanchez, a 28-year-old illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic, is facing criminal charges in federal court for illegally possessing an AR-15 and ammunition and over 400 grams of fentanyl with intent to distribute, according to a statement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.

Boston 25 News also reported that Sanchez was also caught possessing cocaine with "an estimated street value of at least $750,000." He is currently being kept in custody by state authorities.

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Sanchez was storing his weapon and drugs in his room at the Quality Inn Hotel in Revere, Massachusetts, which is a government-funded shelter for migrants.  

Boston and Massachusetts both have sanctuary policies in place and both Wu and Governor Maure Healey have vowed to resist President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to crack down on illegal immigration.

Despite this, Healey expressed anger over the incident, saying, "It’s outrageous that this individual took advantage of our shelter system to engage in criminal activity."

Healey ordered an inspection of all shelters, starting with the Quality Inn Hotel in Revere, as well as a "full review" of the state’s shelter intake processes.

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"This further underscores our broken federal immigration system and the urgent need for Congress and the White House to act on a border security bill to prevent criminals from entering our communities," said Healey. "The people of Massachusetts should not continue to have to deal with the impacts of federal inaction."  

However, Wu, who has said Boston’s sanctuary policies "make everyone safer," has remained silent. Although Fox News Digital spoke with Wu’s office, neither she nor her office have issued any response to Sanchez’s arrest. 

Since Trump’s 2024 electoral victory, Wu has doubled down on Boston’s sanctuary city status, saying police and city officials would not assist federal authorities with deportations.

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Meanwhile, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has seen a recent spike in illegal immigrants arrested for sex crimes in the Boston area and throughout Massachusetts.

Trump’s incoming border czar Tom Homan has called out Wu for pledging resistance to the administration’s immigration agenda, telling Newsmax in November that "she’s not very smart."

"President Trump is going to prioritize public safety threats," said Homan. "What mayor or governor doesn’t want public safety threats out of their communities? I mean that’s your number one responsibility is to protect your communities and that’s exactly what we’re going to do."

As the Venezuelan political crisis reaches a breaking point, members of the Venezuelan opposition party are warning there will be an increase in Tren de Aragua gang violence with deadly consequences for the U.S. if socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro remains in power. 

Despite widespread belief among Venezuelans and much of the international community that Maduro lost the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election to opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, he was sworn into his third six-year term on Friday. 

But with opposition leader María Corina Machado calling on Venezuelan citizens to join her on the streets to demand González be installed as the rightful president of Venezuela, the stage is now set for a confrontation with the Maduro regime. 

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Machado, whose supporters said she was temporarily kidnapped by authorities and then released after a rally on Thursday, warned that if Maduro is not stopped there will be millions of Venezuelan migrants fleeing the country into the U.S.

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"If Maduro remains, prepare yourself because we will see three, four or five million Venezuelans crossing the border," she said.

On the other hand, Machado told Fox News Digital: "I want you to know how important it is also for the safety of the American people."

"We also are desperate to solve the migration problem in our region," she said. "We want those Venezuelans to come back in billions and voluntarily. And that will happen when they'll see there's a future in their country." 

Meanwhile, José Gustavo Arocha, a former high-ranking Venezuelan military official who fled persecution by the Maduro regime, told Fox News Digital that gang violence in the U.S. by the Maduro-aligned criminal group Tren de Aragua will get worse if he remains president. 

Tren de Aragua — also known by its acronym "TdA" — is Spanish for "Train from Aragua." It is a brutal international gang that victimizes Venezuelan migrants and Americans alike and has unleashed a spate of violence in recent months, including kidnapping, torture, robbery and taking over entire apartment buildings. 

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Arocha, who is now a senior fellow for the U.S.-based Center for a Secure Free Society, told Fox News Digital that "if Maduro remains in power, he will likely use the Tren de Aragua as a tool for coercion and asymmetric tactics to achieve his objectives."

"Migration, weaponized with elements of the Tren de Aragua, will serve as leverage to seek the easing of economic sanctions and to gain legitimacy from the United States," he said. "Repression, economic collapse and chaos in Venezuela will continue to be cornerstones of Maduro's state policy. As a result, migrants who are deported will likely return, as in recent years they have established logistical routes that enable them to navigate clandestine pathways along the southern border."

Alberto Ray, a security and risk strategist who helps handle security for Machado, told Fox News Digital that the situation in Venezuela is "extremely explosive." He said that "more Maduro is more Tren de Aragua in the U.S."

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While Ray noted that most Venezuelan migrants are honest, hardworking people, he said that Maduro has been "weaponizing" migration to sow chaos and discord in the U.S. He said it is "inevitable" that TdA presence in the U.S. will grow if the Maduro regime continues.

"These are very few fractions of Venezuelans that were introduced inside those migration processes designed by the regime… but you don't need too many to destabilize, create chaos, to install organized crime processes inside the U.S.," said Ray. "What is going to happen if Maduro stays in power is that more illegal and weaponized migration is going to keep going out of Venezuela and that increases the probability of Tren de Aragua and other gangs to migrate and be around the region, including the U.S."

On the other hand, Ray said that if Maduro is stopped, "we will see Venezuelans returning to Venezuela because many of them didn't want to leave."

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While he said that both the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration have been very supportive, Ray urged the U.S. to take a strong stance against Maduro not only for the sake of the Venezuelans but for Americans as well. He urged the U.S. government to shed light on what is happening in Venezuela and to strictly enforce already-existing sanctions against Maduro and several members of his government.

He said that "the next 72 hours are going to be critical."

"Maduro has nobody supporting him but some factions inside the armed forces, and he's counting on those factions to support him and make him president," Ray explained, adding, "There are not two sides here. There is a huge Venezuelan side that is democratic, and they are looking and trying to get back democracy. And there is a tiny group that is in power that is desperately fighting to keep their privileges and to keep their position in power." 

A Mexican illegal immigrant, who was previously deported from the United States five times, has been arrested after allegedly attempting to kidnap a teenage Alabama girl in a store parking lot around 5:40 p.m. on New Year's Eve, according to officials.

Yordy Centeno Melchor, 31, is charged with second-degree attempted kidnapping and he is being held on a $100,000 bond in connection with the incident.

"It seems as if, when he got in the parking lot, he sort of coaxed the girl, who was trying to move a buggy," Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin told Fox News Digital. "And she was in that area or near his vehicle. But he coaxed her into coming over to the vehicle. She's a young girl. She's 17 years old."

Another man nearby apparently saw the girl "in distress" and confronted Melchor, at which point he allegedly fled the scene, and the sheriff's office issued a be-on-the-lookout (BOLO) alert for the area.

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The sheriff's office later obtained a search warrant for the suspect's phone, and in his "notes" section he had detailed "what he was going to do," Franklin said.

"He was going to give her $200, and I won't get into the intricacies of that, but he was obviously trying to coax her to get in the car," the sheriff explained.

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Officials aren't sure exactly when Melchor wrote the note, but the victim told authorities he showed it to her – possibly as a way to communicate with the girl that he was going to offer her money.

An employee at the store in Holtville where the incident happened shared video footage from the parking lot with authorities, who were able to find a license plate number for the suspect.

Days later, in a county 30 miles north of Elmore, officials stopped a vehicle matching the one at the crime scene and ran its plates, which matched the suspect vehicle. The driver, Melchor, also matched the suspect's description.

Officials were later able to positively identify the suspect and his prior deportations. They are still working to determine what led Melchor to be deported five separate times. 

Following his arrest, a local woman saw Melchor's mugshot and reported seeing a man with a similar appearance in the girl's bathroom of a Walmart. 

Melchor has ties to San Antonio, Texas, and Shelby County, Alabama. He was known to drive between those two areas visiting family, the sheriff said.

The suspect may face additional charges if authorities can identify any other victims.

Franklin described his officers as a "great group of guys" who "all have the same plight to keep Elmore County safe." He added that Elmore County is not a particularly large or small county, but officials "just don't deal with a lot of" crimes of this nature in the area.

Police in the Mexican state of Chihuahua believe that the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua may be behind the murder of a Mexican immigration official just south of the U.S. border.

The Mexican immigration agent, Luis Alberto Olivas, was pushed down a hill and stoned to death by two Venezuelan migrants identified as David J.V. and Carlos Arichuna S.M. on Dec. 30. The murder took place by a military checkpoint close to Ciudad Juárez, just south of El Paso, Texas.

According to Border Report, Mexican authorities believe that at least one of the Venezuelans is suspected of being a member of Tren de Aragua (TdA), which is a transnational criminal organization that facilitates much of the drug and human trafficking in the area.

TREN DE ARAGUA ARE IDEOLOGICAL TERRORISTS DISGUISED AS A STREET GANG WARNS FORMER MILITARY OFFICER

Chihuahua Public Safety Director Gilberto Loya told Border Report that one of the alleged killers "has the tattoos that we have identified as probably linked to Tren de Aragua" and that police have shared this information with other agencies and are "waiting for the next binational meeting to have it checked in [American] databases."

The tattoo in question depicts an owl, a symbol that according to Mexican investigative journalist Luis Chaparro is "often found on Tren de Aragua members" and often indicates a human smuggler "guide."

According to local news source "El Diario MX," the two possible Tren de Aragua members threw stones at Olivas’ chest, pushed him, causing him to fall six meters down a hill, and then smashed his head with a large stone, killing him.

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TdA has been active on the U.S. southern border in recent weeks. On Dec. 31, the Texas Department of Public Safety caught four confirmed TdA members trying to sneak into the U.S illegally.

The individuals were identified as Segundo Ocando-Mejia, 39; Pedro Luis Salazar-Cuervo, 27; Antonio Joe Urruttia-Rojas, 18; and Levi Jesus Urrutia-Blanco, 18. Ocando-Mejia had tattoos on his shoulders indicating he may hold rank or leadership within the gang.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who has led many efforts to secure the border and clamp down on TdA, responded to the arrests by saying: "Our top priority is the safety and security of Texans, including against the growing threat of Tren de Aragua."

After a surge in violence on the New York City subway in the last few weeks, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said that security cameras have been installed in "every single subway car" in the city, which she said will help police fight and "solve crimes even faster."

This comes amid a wave of violent crime incidents in the New York City subway system, including a homeless woman being burned alive by an illegal immigrant and a man being pushed in front of an approaching subway. 

It also follows the high-profile trial of former Marine Daniel Penny, who was charged but later cleared of homicide for his actions defending subway passengers from a mentally unstable homeless man named Jordan Neely.

Hochul, a Democrat, touted her deployment of 1,000 National Guard members to patrol the New York City subway, saying: "Public safety is my top priority." She also claimed credit for directing the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to install cameras in subway cars, which she said has now been completed.

HOCHUL SLAMMED FOR SAYING SHE'S MADE SUBWAYS SAFER ON SAME DAY WOMAN BURNED ALIVE ON TRAIN

"The recent surge in violent crimes in our public transit system cannot continue — and we need to tackle this crisis head-on," she said. "I directed the MTA to install security cameras in every single subway car, and now that the project is complete, these cameras are helping police solve crimes even faster."

Hochul went on to emphasize that "many of these horrific incidents have involved people with serious untreated mental illness," which she said is "the result of a failure to get treatment to people who are living on the streets and are disconnected from our mental health care system."

She blamed weak state laws and "nearly half a century of disinvestment in mental health care and supportive housing," which she said "directly contributed to the crisis we see on our streets and subways."

HOCHUL DEPLOYS HUNDREDS OF NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS TO NYC SUBWAY SYSTEM

Hochul said she would introduce legislation to change New York’s laws governing the involuntary commitment of dangerous mentally unstable individuals to improve the process through which a court can order certain individuals to participate in assisted outpatient treatment.

"We can’t fully address this problem without changes to state law," she said. "Currently, hospitals are able to commit individuals whose mental illness puts themselves or others at risk of serious harm, and this legislation will expand that definition to ensure more people receive the care they need."

Despite these commitments, Hochul is being criticized for not being stronger on protecting New Yorkers traveling on the subway.

"The Governor is all talk and no action," said Curtis Sliwa, an activist and founder of the "Guardian Angels," a citizen law enforcement group known for patrolling and offering assistance to subway passengers.

‘GUARDIAN ANGELS’ FOUNDER SLAMS NEW YORK SANCTUARY CITY POLICIES AFTER WOMAN SET ON FIRE

Sliwa told Fox News Digital that Hochul should "lever her power" and call out individual members of the state legislature who refuse to support legislation to commit the emotionally disturbed to state psychiatric hospitals.

"She has to tell them she will not sign any of their initiatives into law until they support her signature subway initiative," said Sliwa.

He also claimed that the MTA further spurred on violent crime by allowing fare evasion to "explode to the point where 30% of subway riders don't pay their fare."

"The governor must get control back of who comes in and out of the system," he said. "Without control of who comes in then all of the other gubernatorial initiatives will result in more tax money spent with little if any results. Everything will change when you restrict who comes into the subway."

CRITICS WARN OF 'DANIEL PENNY EFFECT’ AFTER WOMAN BURNED ALIVE ON NYC SUBWAY CAR AS BYSTANDERS WATCHED

New York Council member Joe Borelli, a Republican, meanwhile, blamed Democrats for instituting soft-on-crime policies that have resulted in more violence in New York.

"Successive Democratic governors have closed mental health facilities and eroded the very same system she is now saying we need," Borelli told Fox News Digital. "What we really need to do is look at the bail reform and ‘raise the age’ laws her party put into effect in 2019 and see how the trajectory of criminal behavior increased thereafter."

After announcing his citizen law enforcement group, the "Guardian Angels," would be returning to patrol the New York subway, Curtis Sliwa is pushing back against New York Mayor Eric Adams and slamming the city’s migrant sanctuary policies, saying: "We’re in a crime crisis." 

Sliwa announced the Guardian Angels would be resuming safety patrols on New York subway trains after a woman was burned to death on the New York City subway during Christmas week. The New York Post reported Sliwa saying the group would resume its patrols of the subway, walking up and down the inside of the trains "day and night."

The Guardian Angels founder called the brutal subway murder the "deadly consequences of NYC remaining a sanctuary city."  

"We have 56,000 migrants identified as criminals by ICE roaming our streets, and vulnerable homeless folks left sleeping on our subways because shelters are filled and dangerous," he said on X. "But Adams and City Hall pretend the city is safe and under control! While everyday New Yorkers see disturbing crime right before our eyes every single day!"

CRITICS SPECULATE WHY BYSTANDERS FAILED TO SAVE WOMAN BURNING ON NYC SUBWAY: 'DANIEL PENNY FACTOR' | FOX NEWS VIDEO

Recognizable by their distinctive red berets and jackets, Sliwa founded the Guardian Angels in 1979, and the group became a regular presence on the subway during many of the city’s most crime and homicide-ridden years. 

Currently, murders on the New York City subway are up by 60%, according to the New York Post. The outlet reported in September that eight people had been killed on subway trains in New York City, up from five during the same period in 2023.

After last week’s brutal killing, Sliwa announced the Guardian Angels would be making a return to the New York subway and beefing up its presence on trains throughout the city. He said group members would be conducting wellness checks on homeless individuals and alerting police and subway authorities when there are problems.

"We’re going to have to increase our numbers, increase the training and increase our presence as we did back in 1979," said Sliwa. "We went from 13 to 1,000 back then within a period of a year. Because the need was there. The need is here now once again. We’re going to step up. We’re going to make sure we have a visual presence just like we had in the ’70s, 80’s and ’90s."

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Despite this, Adams’ office slammed the Guardian Angels’ announcement.

Kayla Mamelak Altus, a representative for Adams, told Fox News Digital that the mayor has "surged 1,000 police officers per day into the subways, has brought down overall crime, and transit crime, delivering real action — not theatrics."

"Mayor Adams is committed to improving the lives of New Yorkers, which is why he frequently rides the subway to speak directly with everyday riders about how we can make it safer," said Altus. 

"But he knows there’s still more work to be done," Altus added. "Unlike others who only seek attention with meaningless stunts, Mayor Adams remains focused on real solutions."

MAYOR ADAMS CALLS FOR THE 'INVOLUNTARY REMOVAL' OF PEOPLE WHO ARE 'A DANGER TO OTHERS' ON THE STREETS

In response, Sliwa urged Adams to station more police officers in the subway and challenged the mayor to join him in doing regular daily patrols on the subway to see how bad the problems have gotten since the surge in migrants in the city. 

"Head into the subway and patrol yourself," Sliwa said, speaking directly to Adams. "I'll match him. I go four hours a day, even with my busy schedule. The mayor has a busy schedule. He can run one patrol with his police. I'll run a patrol with the Guardian Angels. That’s two more patrols we will have that we didn't have before." 

"We're in a crime crisis, and the mayor should be happy to accept anybody's help at this time," he told Fox News Digital. "So, if we're willing to patrol on the subways where it's desperately needed in the cars as they're moving, why would the mayor or anyone say it's theatrics?"

"The mayor and the governor have not met their primary responsibility, which is to provide public safety to the people in the subway," he went on. "So, if you're unwilling to do the job or maybe you can't and won't admit it, they should be welcoming all the help they can get from an organization that is renowned for 46 years of service to New Yorkers, asking nothing in return." 

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He said that most of the attacks are being carried out by "emotionally disturbed people" who live in the subways. 

"These attacks can occur anytime, anywhere, any place, to anybody, in any part of this city, and especially the subway," he explained. "Shame on us for letting that happen. We need to rescue these people and get them mental health care. Shame on the fact that the mayor spent billions of our tax dollars housing migrants, but not our own citizens who live in the subways. The subway trains have become moving hotels.

"If the mayor was doing a good job… nobody would be asking for the Guardian Angels to patrol the subways," he added. "The people want police, and if they don't have police, they're more than happy to accept the service of the volunteer Guardian Angels."

The New York Police Department Special Victims Unit is searching for a man suspected of groping a 5-year-old girl near a government-funded migrant shelter in Midtown Manhattan.

New York local news source 1010 WINS reported the girl and her mother, who have not been identified by authorities, are residents of a migrant shelter funded by the City of New York at the old Roosevelt Hotel.

A representative from the New York Police Department’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Information office confirmed the investigation to Fox News Digital. The representative told Fox News Digital the incident occurred about a block away from the Roosevelt Hotel at 5th Avenue and 46th Street at about 7 p.m. Dec. 24.

BLUE STATE FACES SPIKE IN MIGRANT SEX CRIMES AS TOP CITY PLEDGES RESISTANCE TO TRUMP DEPORTATIONS

The representative declined to give any information about the identity of the suspect and did not say whether he was also a resident of the Roosevelt Hotel migrant shelter. However, according to 1010 WINS, the suspect knows the girl and her mother. 

The radio station reported that after the alleged groping, the girl was taken to Bellevue, a hospital in Manhattan.

Referred to by some as a "modern Ellis Island," the Roosevelt Hotel was converted into a migrant shelter and processing hub by the City of New York in May 2023 amid a surge in migrants flocking to the city. The hotel has become the epicenter of much of the migrant gang activity in New York City, resulting in violence and crime reportedly spiking in the area.

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The New York Police Department has not said whether the suspect they are searching for is a member of the notorious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua or any other gang. Tren de Aragua has had a heavy presence in the hotel’s vicinity.

On Dec. 5, a 17-year-old, Yeremi Colino, allegedly a member of the Tren de Aragua-affiliated gang "Diablos de la 42" (Devils of 42nd Street), was stabbed to death during what is believed to have been a confrontation with a rival gang. 

Another migrant, 18-year-old Alan Magalles Bello, was also stabbed alongside Colino but survived. 

Aurora Police have confirmed that several members of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) were involved in an "incredibly violent" armed home invasion and kidnapping that left two victims seriously injured in an apartment complex this week. 

"I will say without question, in my opinion, that this is TdA activity. Some of these individuals have been identified as TdA gang members," Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said. "It's something that we are working very close with our partners in HSI [Homeland Security Investigations] and DHS [Homeland Security] to establish their relationship with gangs."

Chamberlain said authorities have little way of confirming that a suspect is a member of TdA since gang members do not typically broadcast their affiliation. 

"It is a real challenge to try to say, ‘Hey, 100%, you are a gang member,’" he said.

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Chamberlain said it was not a "big step" for him to identify them as members of the notorious Venezuelan gang.

"But when you look at the circumstances of this, when you look at the events of this, when you look at the individuals involved in this, when you look at the veracity and the violence involved in this, again, it is not a big step for me to say that they are TdA gang members," he said.

The gang members allegedly forced their way into a couple’s apartment at the Edge at Lowry Apartments in the Denver suburbs and bound, beat, stabbed and kidnapped the victims, leaving them hospitalized. The perpetrators also allegedly stole jewelry from the victims.

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While the department cannot yet confirm whether all 19 of the suspects detained in the incident are TdA members, Chamberlain said he could categorically confirm that several are part of the gang that has been terrorizing Aurora residents in recent months. 

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Chamberlain said one of the detained TdA members was also involved in the violent apartment takeover in Aurora earlier this year. 

According to Chamberlain, this was not an isolated incident. He said the TdA members and their affiliates have regularly mistreated the couple and were extorting them for $500 every two weeks. He believes the couple were not the only victims being intimidated and extorted by the gang members. 

Chamberlain also said Aurora Police are fully cooperating with ICE, DHS and Homeland Security Investigations to determine the identities and potential gang affiliation of those involved in the incident. 

A total of 19 suspects were detained for questioning, three of whom have since been released and eight of whom are now in ICE custody. He said eight are still under investigation. 

"Those pending charges range from everything from second-degree kidnaping, aggravated robbery, first-degree assault, extortion and burglary," he said.

Police have not released the names of the 16 arrested individuals.

The police chief reiterated that authorities did not conduct a "mass sweep" for the suspects, but instead went door to door to thoroughly investigate all parties involved.

During a press conference, Chamberlain emphasized that Aurora Police would respond to calls and help any victim in trouble "regardless of immigration status."

Several suspected members of the bloodthirsty Venezuelan gang Tren De Aragua (TdA) were busted hiding out in a New York City apartment building located next to a daycare center, a law enforcement source tells Fox News, underlining how the gang has immersed itself among the general population in the sanctuary city. 

The New York Post was first to report on the Bronx bust with the publication reporting that seven suspected members of TdA – which has been terrorizing cities across the nation following – were arrested inside the apartment building and were sought on multiple warrants after crossing the US border with Mexico. 

The raid on the Bronx five-story apartment building, which is located next to the Doña Juana Day Care facility, took place on Dec. 5 and was carried out by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the NYPD's federal task force, a law enforcement source tells Fox News. A separate raid took place in Brooklyn with 22 suspected members of the gang scooped up in both raids. 

A worker at the daycare center tells Fox News Digital that there were children inside the facility when the raid took place. 

VENEZUELAN GANG MEMBERS LINKED TO VIOLENT APARTMENT TAKEOVER ARRESTED IN NEW YORK CITY

The vicious gang has taken advantage of a lax southern border under the Biden-Harris administration, with many of its foot soldiers swarming the U.S. and unleashing hell on unsuspecting communities. The gang has been engaged in all sorts of violent crime, including murders, shootings of police officers, assaults, robberies and gun smuggling into migrant shelters.

The alleged gangbangers were traced to the Bronx apartment after tracking the ankle monitor of suspected TdA member Jarwin Valero-Calderon to the hideout on the edge of Crotona Park, sources told The Post. Crotona Park is where President-elect Trump held a campaign rally in May. 

The NYPD confirmed to Fox News that Valero-Calderon was one of those who was taken into custody on Dec. 5 on a federal arrest warrant. 

According to the Post, Valero-Calderon entered the U.S. at Eagle Pass, Texas, in August 2022 and was released with a court date. In the meantime, he racked up a long rap sheet in multiple states before being ordered deported in April but was still on the loose on Dec. 5, the Post reports, citing sources.

Valero-Calderon reported to a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in New York City in September 2022 but then went on his crime spree.

VENEZUELAN MIGRANT GANG TREN DE ARAGUA NOW OPERATING IN 16 STATES: REPORT

He was twice busted on larceny charges in New York and New Jersey with a conviction in June 2023. He was also arrested on a separate petty larceny conviction in Nassau County on April 24, 2023, before being arrested in Florida in February for fraud, larceny and resisting arrest, according to the Post.

Other suspected TdA members arrested in the raid, according to the Post, include Angel Gabriel Marquez Rodriguez, 19, who was arrested in Chicago last year on a shoplifting charge then four months later was busted on larceny charges in New York City and again three months later.

Jhonaiker Alexander Gil Cardozo, 24, was also arrested by the NYPD on grand larceny and stolen property charges back in July and had two other Big Apple busts in June for reckless endangerment and robbery but was left out on the streets.

Last week, New York City Mayor Adams sat down with incoming border czar Tom Homan and agreed to work with the new Trump administration in weeding out migrant criminals in the city. It was met with pushback by some Democrats.

News of the raids was welcomed by New York City Council Member Joe Borelli of Staten Island. 

"This is a gang that set up camp in our city, and it is beyond the pale that the Democratic Party is entrenched against having the NYPD cooperate with ICE to remove them," Borelli told Fox News Digital. "They are actively recruiting members among the migrant community and unfortunately, spend most of their time terrorizing those very same people."

"Mayor Adams should use every resource available to end the city law that precludes the NYPD from cooperating with ICE because it is specific groups like this that make me question the sanity of people who seek to protect them and ensure they remain here."

Those comments were echoed by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y. who told "Maria Bartiromo's Wall Street" that Democrats have been weakening laws to allow for illegal immigrants, gangs and criminal organizations to stay within New York and "wreak havoc."

"It's good news that we're hearing Eric Adams change tune, but quite frankly, he has the ability right now under existing law to cooperate with Ice detainer requests for people who are hardened criminals for violent offenders, for sex offenders," Malliotakas said. 

Late last month, two members of the violent gang who participated in a caught-on-camera-armed apartment invasion in Aurora, Colorado, were captured in New York City. 

Denyeer Aramillo Meneses, 23, and Edison Pena Angulo, 25, both pictured in the viral video, were nabbed in the Bronx by an NYPD gang task force and Homeland Security in a major credit card scam and drug trafficking bust.

Fifteen suspected members of the notorious gang were picked up after a six-month investigation into the gang’s crimes that led to a drug ring, sources told the New York Post. 

Fox News’ Christina Coulter contributed to this report.