DHS Secretary Noem rode alongside federal agents targeting a high-profile Venezuelan gang member during immigration enforcement in the Bronx.
HIGHBRIDGE, Bronx (WABC) — A muti-agency operation concentrated in the Bronx on Tuesday targeted dozens of undocumented immigrants for arrest and deportation, including a purported member of Tren de Aragua wanted in connection with a caught-on-camera home invasion and shooting in Aurora, Colorado.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem rode alongside federal agents and witnessed both criminal and civil enforcement operations, according to sources familiar with the actions in New York.
Noem posted photos of the raids on social media throughout the morning.
Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, 25, was arrested after heavily armed agents from Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration and NYPD officers poured into an apartment on Ogden Avenue in the Highbridge section of the Bronx. He was wanted in Aurora and in New York for multiple crimes including burglary, kidnapping, extortion and menacing.
N.J. Burkett reports from the Bronx with more on the raids being carried out.
He is expected to appear in federal court in Lower Manhattan at some point in the future. Zambrano-Pacheco crossed the U.S. border in 2023.
Two other purported members of the same gang wanted in the same Aurora crime were arrested in the Bronx shortly after Thanksgiving: 23-year-old Danyeer Aramillo-Meneses and 25-year-old Edilson Yoel Pena-Angulo.
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with federal partners including the FBI, ATF, DEA, CBP and the U.S. Marshals Service, began conducting enhanced targeted operations today in New York City to enforce U.S. immigration law and preserve public safety and national security by keeping potentially dangerous criminal aliens out of our communities,” a spokesperson for ICE said in a statement.
There was another arrest on Creston Avenue in the Bronx — a suspect who was reportedly wanted in connection with a double murder in the Dominican Republic.
And another person was taken into custody by federal agents on Audubon Avenue in Washington Heights. Few details were known in that case.
In response to Tuesday’s activities, Legal Aid Society launched a new Know Your Rights hub, with information on advanced family planning for non-citizen parents, ICE arrests and detention, the federal harboring law and more.
“In this moment, it is critical that all New Yorkers know their rights and are as prepared as possible. We are proud to launch these Know Your Rights materials and convenings to support the people we serve, communities, and fellow advocates navigating new anti-immigrant policies and laws,” said Deborah Lee, Attorney-in-Charge of the Immigration Law Unit at The Legal Aid Society.
The targets of other immigration operations in the city Tuesday were not immediately clear.
Mayor Eric Adams said he directed the NYPD to coordinate with DHS and other federal law enforcement agencies to conduct the immigration enforcement action on Tuesday morning.
“Early this morning – as it regularly does as part of a multi-agency task force – our city coordinated with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on a federal criminal investigation involving a suspect hiding in New York City. Beforehand, 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. As I have repeatedly said, we will not hesitate to partner with federal authorities to bring violent criminals to justice – just as we have done for years. Our commitment to protecting our city’s law-abiding residents, both citizens and immigrants, remains unwavering.”
New York’s “Sanctuary City” laws forbid cooperating in all but criminal cases. The NYPD cannot assist in mass, civil deportations. But assisting in apprehending a migrant fugitive is consistent with city and state law, says Gov. Kathy Hochul.
“My understanding is that they had specific names of people who committed crimes-serious offenders-and those are exactly the people that we want removed from the State of New York,” Hochul said.
But federal authorities are firm, and they’re casting a wide net.
“If you are an individual, a foreign national, who illegally enters the United States of America, you are by definition, a criminal,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Be sure to join us on Friday at 5:30 p.m. for our special “Immigration Crackdown: Facts and Fears.” We’ll take a deep dive into Trump’s new immigration policies as well as concerns among immigrant communities in our area.
(ABC News contributed to this report.)
WATCH | Amol Sinha, Executive Director of ACLU of New Jersey, weighs in on immigration arrests:
Amol Sinha, Executive Director of ACLU New Jersey, joins Eyewitness News to talk what rights people have, amid fear of potential deportation.
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DHS Secretary Noem rode alongside federal agents targeting a high-profile Venezuelan gang member during immigration enforcement in the Bronx.
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