A December 5 federal raid in a Bronx apartment near Crotona Park led to the arrest of seven members of the Venezuelan migrant gang Tren de Aragua (TdA), marking a significant development in law enforcement's battle against the group's growing criminal footprint across the United States. Federal agents from a Homeland Security Investigations and NYPD task force were tipped off by a GPS ankle monitor worn by one of the suspects, 28-year-old Jarwin Valero-Calderon.
The operation revealed a network of organized crime stretching far beyond New York City, with Tren de Aragua members actively involved in violent thefts, drug trafficking, and other illicit activities. The gang, which reportedly infiltrated the U.S. alongside waves of asylum-seekers, has leveraged sanctuary city policies and lenient criminal justice measures to establish a foothold in at least 17 states, according to Homeland Security intelligence.
"This is what actual supervised release looks like?" questioned a law enforcement source after Valero-Calderon was found freely operating despite multiple arrests, a Nassau County conviction, and an outstanding federal deportation order. "The thing about ankle monitors is you have to actually monitor them to be effective."
Valero-Calderon entered the U.S. via Eagle Pass, Texas, in August 2022 and was released pending a court hearing. Despite accumulating a rap sheet of arrests spanning New York, New Jersey, and Florida, including fraud and larceny charges, he evaded deportation and remained at large until the recent raid. His ankle monitor ultimately betrayed his location, leading authorities to a Bronx hideout used by the gang.
Among those arrested were 24-year-old Jhonaiker Alexander Gil Cardozo and 30-year-old Jesus Manuel Quintero Granado. Both men had extensive criminal histories, including multiple arrests for theft and property crimes in New York, New Jersey, and South Carolina. Quintero Granado, who crossed the border with his wife and child in 2022, had previously been deported from Canada after his asylum request was denied.
The raid is part of a broader federal effort to curtail Tren de Aragua's rise in the U.S., where the gang has used migrant shelters as recruiting grounds. Former Denver ICE Chief John Fabbricatore said, "They've started to solidify themselves and then they throw tentacles out to multiple other locations where they think they can continue to make money. People are finally starting to realize how bad the situation has gotten."
The gang's growing presence has also been tied to incidents of organized theft, including a rash of heists in New York City's Times Square. The gang operates alongside a younger offshoot known as "Diablos de la 42," whose members, some as young as 11, have exploited lax juvenile justice statutes to avoid detention despite troubling criminal records.
An internal Homeland Security memo highlights the gang's reach, warning of its presence in states such as Virginia, Montana, and Wyoming, in addition to established operations in New York, Florida, and California. The memo also notes that the gang's activities have intensified alongside increases in Venezuelan migrant populations in these areas. "The potential for violent TdA migrants is highly probable," it stated.
Tren de Aragua has been linked to schemes ranging from hacking ATMs with malicious software to funneling stolen funds back to South America to finance additional criminal enterprises. In August 2023, three suspected gang members were arrested in Fairfax County, Virginia, for shoplifting; one carried a fake Venezuelan ID, and all bore gang tattoos.
Valero-Calderon's case exemplifies the challenges of enforcement in a system overwhelmed by high migration volumes and insufficient monitoring. Despite being marked as a fugitive following his failure to appear for a court hearing, he continued to evade authorities until the Bronx raid.
