Overview
- Homeland Security, ICE, FBI and partner agencies executed a Nov. 16 operation near San Pedro Avenue and Basse Road, transporting detainees to the Pearsall ICE facility.
- DHS reports that 27 of those detained are suspected Tren de Aragua members and publicly released five names linked to the group.
- The Justice Department says two Honduran nationals from the sweep, Marcos Joel Contreras-Max and Edwin Javier Chinchilla-Lopez, were charged with illegal reentry and made initial court appearances.
- Authorities say they recovered cocaine, three firearms and about $35,000 in cash, with additional arrests tied to alleged human smuggling, money laundering and a cocaine trafficking probe.
- Public tallies of those detained vary from at least 140 to more than 150 to about 200, investigations remain active and community protests have called for more transparency.