An alleged Tren de Aragua gang member arrested in Florida is the first person to be taken into custody under the Alien Enemies Act, authorities said.
Franklin Jose Jimenez-Bracho was arrested Thursday by the Florida Highway Patrol and Florida Department of Law Enforcement along with Homeland Security Investigations and Homeland Security Task Force Orlando.
Watch NBC6 free wherever you are
WATCH HEREJimenez-Bracho is a known Tren de Aragua member and was wanted for human trafficking and smuggling, FDLE officials said.
Get local news you need to know to start your day with NBC 6's News Headlines newsletter.
SIGN UP
ICE Acting Director Todd M. Lyons discussed the arrest at news conference in Orlando with FHP officials on Friday.
"Tren de Aragua is a dangerous foreign terrorist organization that has invaded our soil. TDA has infiltrated the U.S. though the northern border, the southern border and our waterways," Lyons said. "Many of these members are cold-blooded killers, rapists, thieves, drug traffickers, weapons traffickers and human traffickers. They are accused of the most heinous crimes committed inside our neighborhoods and communities."
The arrest of Jimenez-Bracho is the first in the nation under the Alien Enemies Act, according to HSI.
Local
FDLE and Florida Highway Patrol Troopers, in participation with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Homeland Security Task Force Orlando, today arrested a known Tren de Aragua gang member—the first arrest conducted in the nation under the Alien Enemies Act according to HSI.… pic.twitter.com/1uEhj5BGgJ
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 20, 2025
President Donald Trump last week invoked the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 law that allows the president to deport any noncitizen from a country that the U.S. is at war with.
A federal judge later issued an order barring the Trump administration from carrying out deportations under the act.
Tren de Aragua, or Aragua Train in English, originated from a prison in Venezuela and has since expanded throughout the United States and Central and South America, primarily Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. The organization partakes in a variety of crimes, including murder, drug and human trafficking, sex crimes, extortion and more.
