Homeland Security on Thursday said it has arrested two of the men accused of taking part in a mob attack on New York City police officers and has connected them to a Venezuelan gang believed to be behind a U.S. crime spree.
Kelvin Servita Arocha, 19, and Wilson Juarez, 21, are part of the Tren de Aragua gang, which is reportedly flooding illegal immigrants into the U.S.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested the two men Tuesday after New York authorities found them at an apartment with Yarquin Madris, another target of the cop-attack investigation.
“Both unlawfully present Venezuelan citizens have been charged in conjunction with the violent gang assault carried out on two NYPD officers and are currently detained without bond,” said Marie Ferguson, an ICE spokeswoman who said the agency has determined they are associated with the gang.
New York authorities arrested the two men, along with others accused in the attack, several weeks ago. Most of them were released without needing to post bail, drawing howls of protest from critics who said prosecutors should have sought to hold them in custody.
Former ICE Director Tom Homan said his agency should have stepped in with detainers to try to hold them.
“Why the hell isn’t ICE locking these guys up?” he told The Washington Times this month.
ICE hasn’t answered that question over the ensuing two weeks, despite repeated inquiries.
New York released another one of the accused migrants Tuesday. Yohenry Brito posted $15,000 bail after nearly two weeks in custody.
It’s not clear why ICE didn’t detain him longer.
It’s also not clear if ICE has placed a detainer request for Mr. Madris, who was just arrested this week.
The lenient treatment of the migrants has enraged city residents and left even Democratic politicians wondering about New York’s sanctuary policy and antipathy toward deportation.
The assault, caught on video, showed a gang of young men kick and punch two officers who were trying to detain someone outside a migrant shelter near Times Square.
Seven people have been indicted and six have been arrested.
The fact that ICE has connected the two in its custody to the Venezuelan gang is particularly striking. Authorities say the gang seems to be behind a wave of robberies and thefts in New York, such as snatching cellphones and using them to drain bank accounts of funds.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.