A major raid on a human trafficking operation in San Antonio, run by members of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA), resulted in the arrest of at least 140 illegal aliens.
Authorities confirmed the success of the raid in an announcement on Monday.
The raid targeted a sex trafficking network and resulted in the arrest of murderers, child predators, and other dangerous criminals.
The takedown marks one of the most significant anti-trafficking operations since President Donald Trump ordered a nationwide crackdown on transnational criminal networks earlier this year.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed that the covert operation was executed jointly by the Texas Department of Public Safety, federal agents, and local law enforcement.
The bust came just hours before officials announced the creation of a new regional Homeland Security Task Force.
The task force was designed explicitly to dismantle cartels, foreign terrorist organizations, and human-trafficking networks that have spread across the southern United States.
Sunday’s raid was conducted under President Trump’s January 20 executive order targeting transnational criminal organizations.
The directive has already intensified federal coordination against gangs like Tren de Aragua, MS-13, and other foreign networks involved in smuggling, trafficking, and violent crime.
Authorities said more than 140 illegal immigrants from Venezuela, Honduras, Mexico, and several other South American nations were taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Multiple federal agencies participated in the operation, underscoring the scale of the trafficking ring and its ties to international criminal syndicates.
Houston DEA Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen said the new task force will dramatically strengthen federal-state cooperation.
“The Homeland Security Task Force enables the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to bring its sophisticated investigative techniques to the table, which have been instrumental in capturing the most violent drug trafficking organizations in the United States and worldwide,” Pullen said.
“We look forward to working hand in hand with our federal and state counterparts in bringing down drug traffickers pumping poison into our neighborhoods and devastating our communities.”
But not all reactions were supportive.
Democrat Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX), whose brother previously served as mayor of San Antonio, said he had requested more information from the Justice Department and local agencies.
Without evidence, Castro is claiming that raids in other regions had swept up U.S. citizens or immigrants without criminal records.
He did not provide any specifics about Sunday’s operation.
The San Antonio bust comes as federal agents continue sweeping operations across Texas.
In Houston alone, ICE arrested 3,500 criminal illegal aliens during the 43-day government shutdown.
Those arrested included 13 people convicted of murder, 51 child predators, 67 sex offenders, and 23 gang members.
Among those apprehended: an MS-13 member charged with carrying out a triple homicide in Dallas.
As the Trump administration expands its counter-cartel apparatus and Texas intensifies its own enforcement, officials say more large-scale takedowns of foreign criminal networks are expected in the coming weeks.
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