More than 140 were taken into ICE custody during the early morning operation on Sunday, officials say.
SAN ANTONIO — Federal court records show that two of the more than 100 people detained during a multi-agency operation over the weekend in north San Antonio were arrested on immigration charges.
Though the initial records obtained by KENS 5 related to the law enforcement activity pertains to just a pair of suspects, it provides another hint as to the nature of the operation, which officials said involved FBI and Homeland Security personnel in addition to local and state officials. Authorities say more than 140 people from Venezuela, Honduras, Mexico and other South American countries were taken into custody in an effort to disrupt the Tren de Aragua criminal network.
The two arrest affidavits, for Marcos Joel Contreras-Max and Edwin Javier Chinchilla-Lopez, don’t make mention of gang activity. But the documents accuse them both of illegal re-entry and state they were “encountered” during the early Sunday morning operation in the area of San Pedro and Basse, where they were arrested and handed off to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for processing.
Contreras-Max was transported out of the U.S. to Honduras in August 2023 while Chinchilla-Lopez was removed to Honduras in March 2025, according to the affidavits, which were both written by an ICE deportation officer.
Immigration detainers for both are expected to be filed with the U.S. Marshals Service.
Further, federal officials on Tuesday requested detention hearings for both men, calling them a “serious risk” of fleeing and saying they’re not in the U.S. legally.
Federal authorities said one entity that participated in the Sunday operation was a newly established regional Homeland Security Task Force designed to fight cartel operations and transnational gangs. Dozens took to San Antonio streets in the area of the operation on Monday evening to protest against ICE and SAPD for its participation.