Officials from the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made a joint announcement on Friday regarding the apprehension of an alleged member of the Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang from Venezuela.
The individual in custody, Franklin Jose Jimenez-Bracho, is notable as the first person to be taken into custody under the Alien Enemies Act, a law recently invoked by President Donald Trump.
“ICE Director Todd Lyons, in the presence of FHP members during the news briefing on Friday afternoon, described Tren de Aragua as a perilous foreign terrorist group that has made incursions onto American territory,” stated ICE officials. Lyons further emphasized that TdA has managed to infiltrate various parts of the U.S., including the northern and southern borders as well as the country’s waterways.
“Many of these members are cold-blooded killers, rapists, thieves, drug traffickers, weapons traffickers and human traffickers. They’re accused of the most heinous crimes committed inside our neighborhoods and communities. They have been running loose in the United States.”
The Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which allows deportation of natives and citizens of an enemy nation without a hearing, has been invoked three times, during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II.
Jimenez-Brach is a known human trafficker and smuggler and is part of an ongoing investigation, officials said.
“During the operation, FDLE Special Agents steered Bracho right into a group of FHP Troopers and other Task Force members who put the cuffs on him,” the Florida Department of Law Enforcement wrote on X about Jimenez-Bracho’s arrest.
“Once again, Florida leads the way,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote on X.
