ORLANDO, Fla. — On Friday, March 21, 2025, Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Todd Lyons held a press conference at the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) office in Orlando, addressing the removal of Tren de Aragua (TdA) members from the United States.
The operation, conducted in collaboration with state and local law enforcement partners, including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and FHP, targets the Venezuelan gang, which has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization under President Donald Trump‘s administration.
During the press conference, Lyons announced that ICE, working with Florida law enforcement, arrested more than 68 TdA members in the U.S. over the past 48 hours.
To date, the agency has detained 394 individuals linked to the gang, part of a broader initiative to combat its presence in American communities.
The operation is tied to President Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 law previously used during wartime, which the administration has applied to expedite the removal of suspected foreign gang members, including TdA. This move has been part of Trump’s broader immigration enforcement strategy, with TdA identified as a priority due to its alleged involvement in violent crimes and transnational criminal activities.
The use of the Alien Enemies Act has faced legal scrutiny, with a federal judge recently blocking some deportation flights, though the administration continues to pursue its enforcement strategy.
