United States Customs and Border Patrol caught an alleged Tren de Aragua gang member during a traffic stop near Detroit Wednesday.
The traffic stop in Shelby Township was triggered by a fake license plate on a vehicle caught during a traffic stop by the Shelby Township Police Department. The local police station said they realized the suspect was an alleged gang member on the terror watchlist, which is when Marysville Station CBP agents went to the traffic stop to grab people in local police custody. CBP said the three people inside the car were all in the United States illegally, and one of them is Venezuelan national Manuel Zavala-Lopez, an alleged Tren de Aragua gang member who entered the country during the Biden administration in May 2023 and was released, according to DHS.
The group was named a foreign terrorist organization early on during President Donald Trump’s second term, along with MS-13. Some of those alleged members have been sent to the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador for detention.
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“Zavala-Lopez is a serial criminal who’s traveled across the U.S. committing violent crimes. He has an outstanding warrant for failure to appear on a felony assault charge in Denver, Colorado. He has also been charged with robbery resulting in physical injury, criminal possession of a weapon intent to use, assault, possession of stolen property and petty larceny in New York,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
“Thanks to our brave law enforcement, he is off the streets and will no longer be able to terrorize American citizens. He will remain in ICE custody pending removal.”
“The arrest of this Tren de Aragua gang member, who has a history of firearms and other criminal charges and was wanted on an active warrant out of Denver, Colorado, for failure to appear, removes another dangerous criminal illegal alien from our country and enhances public safety,” Detroit Sector Chief Patrol Agent John R. Morris said in a statement.
“This marks the second arrest of a gang member from a foreign terrorist organization this month and underscores the relentless efforts of our agents and law enforcement partners. These cases highlight the critical value of interagency cooperation in removing these criminal threats from our communities,” Morris added.
The 30-year-old, who is not named but had his mugshot disclosed by the agency, was previously charged with violent robbery as well as weapons and immigration violations, according to a news release.
“This Tren de Aragua gang member, who had no business being in our country, let alone roaming the streets of Shelby Township, serves as our department’s commitment to keeping our community safe and getting dangerous individuals like this out of our community,” Lt. Mark Benedettini of the Shelby Township Police Department told Fox News Digital in an email.
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Traffic stops are considered a major aspect of border and immigration enforcement, and people and drugs are often caught as a result.
Two Salvadoran nationals in the country illegally were also arrested by CBP in Detroit earlier this month, the agency announced July 10.
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Border Patrol agents responded after a call for extra help during an “altercation” at a motel in Sterling Heights.
One of the men “admitted” to being a member of MS-13 and said he previously served 20 years behind bars in the Central American country for killing someone from a rival gang.
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“This is a major win for the U.S. Border Patrol and the safety of our communities,” Detroit Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Javier Geronimo Jr. said in a statement at the time.
“This arrest is a clear example of how agents and our law enforcement partners are protecting our towns by removing violent criminals from our country.”