TREN DE ARAGUA ARRESTED IN ORLANDO, FL

BY SNN.BZ STAFF

Venezuelan Gang Member Becomes First Arrested Under Alien Enemies Act in Florida Crackdown

ORLANDO, Fla. — Franklin Jose Jimenez-Bracho, a Venezuelan national and confirmed member of the notorious Tren de Aragua gang, has etched his name into U.S. legal history as the first individual arrested under the recently invoked Alien Enemies Act. The arrest, which unfolded on March 20, 2025, in a coordinated operation involving multiple Florida law enforcement agencies and federal authorities, marks a bold escalation in the nation’s fight against transnational crime infiltrating American soil.

Jimenez-Bracho’s capture came during a high-stakes sting operation led by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), in collaboration with the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Homeland Security Task Force Orlando.

Authorities had been tracking the 32-year-old Venezuelan, a known figure within Tren de Aragua—a gang born in the violent corridors of Venezuela’s Tocorón prison—due to his alleged involvement in human trafficking and smuggling operations across state lines. Described by ICE Acting Director Todd M. Lyons as a “cold-blooded criminal,” Jimenez-Bracho’s arrest underscores the growing threat posed by the gang’s expansion into the United States.

The operation unfolded with precision. FDLE special agents, acting on intelligence from an ongoing investigation, maneuvered Jimenez-Bracho into a trap on a quiet stretch of highway near Orlando. As he approached, a team of FHP troopers and federal agents swooped in, handcuffing him without incident. “It was like steering him right into our hands,” an FDLE spokesperson later remarked, highlighting the seamless coordination between state and federal forces.

Jimenez-Bracho’s journey to this moment began in Venezuela, where Tren de Aragua rose from a prison-based syndicate to a multinational criminal empire. Known for its ruthless tactics—extortion, drug trafficking, and human smuggling—the gang has exploited economic chaos in Venezuela to expand its reach across South America and, more recently, into the U.S. through porous borders and waterways. Jimenez-Bracho, believed to have entered the country illegally via the southern border in late 2023, quickly became a target for law enforcement after his name surfaced in connection with a human trafficking ring operating between Florida and Texas.

The Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime statute invoked by President Donald Trump on March 15, 2025, provided the legal backbone for Jimenez-Bracho’s arrest. The controversial move—intended to fast-track deportations of noncitizens linked to hostile entities—has drawn both praise and condemnation. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a vocal supporter, hailed the arrest as a triumph for state sovereignty, posting on X, “Once again, Florida leads the way.” At a press conference in Orlando on March 21, Lyons painted a grim picture of Tren de Aragua’s infiltration, noting that the gang’s members are “killers, rapists, and traffickers” whose brutality cannot be tolerated.

For Jimenez-Bracho, the stakes are high. Charged under the Alien Enemies Act, he faces immediate detention and potential deportation, bypassing traditional immigration proceedings. Authorities allege that his role in Tren de Aragua involved coordinating the movement of vulnerable migrants, many of whom were coerced into forced labor or sex trafficking. His arrest is part of a broader sweep that has seen 68 suspected Tren de Aragua members apprehended in the past 48 hours, bringing the total to 394 since ICE intensified its crackdown on the gang.

The case has ignited fierce debate. Supporters argue that decisive action against groups like Tren de Aragua is essential to protect American communities, pointing to incidents like the 2024 kidnapping of a Colorado couple by gang affiliates. Critics, however, decry the use of the Alien Enemies Act as an overreach, warning of potential abuses and the erosion of due process. A federal judge’s attempt to block deportations under the act was dismissed by the Trump administration, which claimed the order came too late to halt Jimenez-Bracho’s detention.

As Jimenez-Bracho sits in custody, his fate remains uncertain. For now, he is a symbol of a new frontier in America’s immigration and crime-fighting strategy—one where wartime powers collide with modern challenges. In Florida, where the arrest has been celebrated as a victory, officials vow to press forward. “Our goal is to eradicate Tren de Aragua from U.S. soil,” Lyons declared, a promise that signals more operations—and more arrests—may soon follow.