SAN ANTONIO — New surveillance video shows the moments when dozens of people ran away from law enforcement during an early morning raid that ended with more than 140 people in handcuffs. Federal authorities say 51 of the individuals taken into ICE custody are members of the Venezuelan criminal group known as Tren de Aragua.
The owner of North Star Auto Sales along the 5000 block of San Pedro Avenue, provided KENS 5 security footage captured just after 3 a.m. on Nov. 16, where men and women are listening to music and drinking beer. Eventually the music is turned off and police sirens are heard in the distance followed by everyone scrambling. Flashbangs can be seen and heard in the 59-second clip.
The Homeland Security Task Force-South Texas carried out the operation, which involved local, state and federal law enforcement agencies arresting 143 people from numerous Spanish-speaking countries, including 98 Venezuelans, 21 Hondurans and 14 Mexicans.
The FBI indicated 25 of the 143 people arrested “had a record of criminal history” in the U.S. It remains unclear what the majority of the individuals arrested are being charged with at this time.
Federal officials noted the goal of the operation was to crack down on crime linked to transnational criminal organizations that take part in human-trafficking, narcotics distribution and unlaw weapons possession.
Meantime, Congressman Joaquin Castro is demanding more answers from the federal government in regard to the raid.
Castro, in a press release on Nov. 25, said in part:
“If authorities are so sure they arrested 51 members of Tren de Aragua, why can’t they offer proof? It’s un-American to round people up and claim they have ties to a gang without evidence or proof. Especially as 92 people got caught in the crosshairs and were charged with nothing—including two teenage boys who were grabbing something to eat—just to meet quotas.”