Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joined federal agents in New York City to announce the arrest of immigrants accused of serious crimes. One of those arrested was Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, 26, who is wanted for kidnapping. Zambrano-Pacheco was allegedly involved in a violent incident in Aurora, Colorado, where he was seen on a viral video entering an apartment with suspected gang members.
Noem, part of President Donald Trump’s administration, praised the arrests, highlighting the importance of removing criminals from the streets. “Criminal aliens like this will continue to be removed from our streets,” Noem said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. She thanked the officers involved in the operation.
The operation took place early Tuesday morning in the Bronx, New York. Authorities said Zambrano-Pacheco was part of a group, including members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The group was seen in the viral video entering an apartment in Aurora, Colorado, last summer. The video caught the attention of President Trump, who launched “Operation Aurora” to target migrant gangs.
Zambrano-Pacheco is accused of kidnapping and threatening two people in June. Police said he was also involved in a shooting after the apartment incident. It’s not clear if he is a member of Tren de Aragua or if he has a lawyer. Two other men involved in the video were arrested in New York last November and are still in ICE custody.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul commented that the arrests were not part of a “wholesale raid,” but rather an operation targeting specific individuals accused of crimes. She emphasized that ICE raids have occurred in New York before, and this was not a new development.
Zambrano-Pacheco is the fifth person arrested in connection with the Aurora apartment incident. The video showed armed men, including some identified as members of Tren de Aragua, entering the apartment just before a fatal shooting outside the complex. Federal authorities have been investigating the incident for months, including during President Joe Biden’s administration.
In Chicago, federal agents also conducted arrests over the weekend. The operations, which were criticized by local leaders, included a controversial decision to allow television psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw to livestream immigrant arrests. Chicago’s Mayor Brandon Johnson strongly opposed the public nature of these arrests, stating that it was wrong to “popularize fear.”
ICE has not shared many details about the arrests in Chicago, including the number of people taken into custody. Chicago police did not participate in the operation but communicated with federal agents. It’s estimated that around 100 people were arrested in Chicago.
In other developments, a raid in Colorado over the weekend targeted drug trafficking by Tren de Aragua. Authorities said that no one would face drug or gun charges, as the drugs and guns found at a makeshift nightclub were dropped before agents entered.
Back in the Bronx, Richard Egu, a correctional officer, was woken up by the commotion during the arrest of Zambrano-Pacheco. Egu, originally from Nigeria, said he understood the need to arrest criminals but also expressed concerns about the impact of such operations on the immigrant community. “You need to give immigrants a chance. These people are already here,” he said. “Don’t just judge all immigrants as criminals.”