ICE arrests over 20 during NYC raids, including suspected gang leader: Details

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents made over 20 arrests on Tuesday in parts of Manhattan and the Bronx – including a suspected gang leader – as President Donald Trump's mass deportation project continues to ramp up.

The Bronx

Around 3 a.m. on Tuesday on Ogden Avenue in the Highbridge section, the Department of Homeland Security arrested 26-year-old Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, a suspected Tren de Aragua ringleader. 

Who is Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco?

Sources said Zambrano-Pacheco was "wanted over the viral, caught-on-camera break-in in Aurora, Colorado." 

According to officials, Zambrano-Pacheco was hiding out in New York City. He's wanted for multiple violent crimes, including burglary, kidnapping, extortion and firearms possession. 

It was not immediately clear what would happen next for Zambrano-Pacheco.

What happened in Aurora, Colorado?

Armed members of the Venezuelan gang were caught on video entering an Aurora apartment complex unit last summer in footage that drew Trump's attention during the presidential campaign.

Afterward, the president announced a plan called "Operation Aurora" to target migrant gangs. The video led Trump to claim that the Denver suburb had been taken over by the gang, which city officials denied.

Local and federal authorities, including Aurora police and ICE, investigated the apartment video incident for months beginning when Joe Biden was still president.

Zambrano-Pacheco is the fifth person to be arrested in connection with the Aurora apartment incident.

In an arrest warrant, Aurora police said Zambrano-Pacheco was also wanted in a kidnapping in which at least 20 armed men abducted and threatened two people in late June. In addition, police said Zambrano-Pacheco was with a group of armed men before a shooting occurred shortly after the apartment incident that was caught on video.

Back in the Bronx, Homeland Security officers were seen on Creston Avenue escorting another man down the street in handcuffs, surrounded by cameras and other law enforcement. The man is a Dominican national, but his identity was unclear.

Washington Heights

In Washington Heights, the Drug Enforcement Administration posted photos on X showing federal agents escorting a man in handcuffs out of an apartment building. The man's identity was unknown, as well as his criminal background, if any.

Sleepy Hollow

Meanwhile, ICE agents also notified police that they have immigration warrants out for two people in Sleepy Hollow, Westchester County. It's unclear if those people were detained. 

Big picture view:

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem led the charge on Tuesday, saying agents are doing exactly what Trump promised the American people by taking violent criminals off the streets.

What they're saying:

"I directed the NYPD to coordinate with DHS’ Homeland Security Investigations and other federal law enforcement agencies — as allowed by law — to conduct a targeted operation to arrest an individual connected with multiple violent crimes, both here in New York and in Aurora, Colorado, including burglary, kidnapping, extortion, firearms possession, menacing with a firearm, crime of violence, and other charges," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Noem addressed her staff for the very first time and laid out her vision for the department.

"I’m hoping all of us will be a beacon of freedom, of light and of hope that when people look at us, they don’t just see people who are there in a time of crisis or conflict, but we’re also people that bring a smile to people’s faces, and remind them what America is about."

By the numbers:

In a Tuesday post on X, ICE reported 969 single-day arrests and lodged 869 detainers, which means "there’s probable cause to believe that the person is removable from the United States under federal immigration law." 

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According to ICE, nearly 1,000 undocumented immigrants were arrested on Tuesday, as President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown continues to ramp up.

Many of the ICE actions were not unusual. ICE averaged 311 daily arrests in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.

But deportation efforts under the Trump administration should be more seamless, as it announced Friday that it was expanding the use of "expedited removal" authority so it can be used across the country starting right away. "Expedited removal" gives enforcement agencies broad authority to deport people without requiring them to appear before an immigration judge. There are limited exceptions, including if they express fear of returning home and pass an initial screening interview for asylum.

Dig deeper:

According to Pew Research Center:

  • The U.S. recorded a record-breaking foreign born population of 47.3 million in 2023, meaning immigrants account for 14.3% of the population.
  • As of 2022, 77% of the immigrants in this country were here legally, with 49% becoming naturalized citizens.
  • About 23% are unauthorized immigrants, and other 4% are legal temporary residents.

What we don't know:

It's unclear if the people arrested were being investigated before Trump took office. Specific details on all the arrests were not disclosed.

As the landscape of immigration is expected to undergo major changes in 2025, FOX 5 NY will bring you the latest with reporters Jessica Formoso and Stephanie Bertini on the ground.

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