A powerful member of the dangerous Venezuelan street gang Tren de Aragua is in jail on charges of killing two women in Illinois earlier this year.
There was a joint operation last week in Cobb County, Georgia, between the U.S. Marshals Service Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, the Chicago Police Department, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This is how Ricardo Gonzales, 32, was caught.
“This defendant’s crimes against American women are horrific, and he is exactly the type of Alien Enemy the Trump administration is fighting to remove from this country in order to make America safe again,” Pam Bondi said in a statement.
There was reasonable cause to believe Gonzales was guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder, and he had an arrest warrant out for his arrest.
On January 28, prosecutors say Gonzales took three women hostage, took them to an alley in Chicago, and shot them in the head. Two of the women were declared dead at the scene, and the victim who was still alive was able to call 911.
Gonzales was taken to the Cobb County Jail and is now waiting to be sent back to Chicago. While the police were closing in on Gonzales, five more people were arrested and taken to ICE holding centres.
Fox News Digital asked the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office and the Chicago Police Department for comments, but neither responded right away.
UK Marshal Service Acting Director Mark Pittella said in a statement, “This case shows how hard the U.S. Marshal Service and other agencies work to make sure justice is done.” “Every arrest contributes to safer communities and demonstrates our unwavering commitment to protecting the public.”
The arrest happened just a few days before flying to Venezuela to send people back to their home country after President Trump made a deal with President Nicolás Maduro.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed to Fox News Digital that on Sunday, a flight with 199 illegal Venezuelan immigrants, including members of Tren de Aragua, left the U.S. on its way to Honduras, where they were likely to be handed over to the Venezuelan government.
The flight ended a standoff between the Trump administration and Maduro that had been going on for weeks because Maduro wouldn’t let Americans who were being deported go to Venezuela.
In the past few weeks, deportation planes have sent about 350 migrants back to Venezuela.
In a social media post, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “Venezuela is required to accept its citizens who have been sent back from the U.S.” “This is not an issue for debate or negotiation.”