U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on Thursday that at least two of the illegal immigrants who attacked two NYPD officers last month are part of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
Wilson Juarez, 21, and Kelvin Servita-Arocha, 19, who are charged in the Jan. 27 attack on NYPD officers in Times Square, are being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement without bond.
Both were arrested by immigration agents inside a Bronx apartment after cops… pic.twitter.com/OY3PYfaHqQ
— Crime In NYC (@CrimeInNYC) February 16, 2024
Wilson Juarez, 21, and Kelvin Servita-Arocha, 19, were arrested by ICE agents inside a Bronx apartment and are currently being held without bail.
“Both unlawfully present Venezuelan citizens have been charged in conjunction with the violent gang assault carried out on two NYPD officers [and] are currently detailed without bond,” said ICE spokeswoman Marie Ferguson.
“Both noncitizens have been identified as members of the Tren de Aragua transnational criminal organization,” Ferguson added.
Tren de Aragua is Spanish for “Aragua Train” and expresses the gang’s origins as a railroad labor union in Aragua, Venezuela. The gang has been responsible for a bunch of robberies across the city and is growing in numbers.
Juarez and Servita-Arocha were just two of several illegal immigrants involved in the beating of two NYPD officers on Jan. 27 after being asked to stop loitering in front of a migrant shelter. The shocking footage showed the gang kicking and punching officers as they were apprehending one of the members on the ground.
Sevita-Arocha was indicted and charged with assault in the second degree, to which he pleaded not guilty. His bail was set at $15,000. He will also have his custody status re-evaluated.
Juarez was charged with tampering with physical evidence after surveillance footage showed him wearing or holding articles of clothing worn by some of the other suspects.
Police accused Juarez of attempting to help the other suspects not get caught. His bail was set at just $1 after his attorney argued that he was not physically involved in the incident and to keep him from being deported.
Five other suspects were also indicted. After being criticized by officials, including Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, progressive Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted the seven suspects, after previously letting several of them go without bail.
“The seven defendants indicted have now appeared in court, and because of our thorough investigation we can present our case and hold them fully accountable for their actions,” Bragg said in a statement.
“Our investigation into the incident with the NYPD remains ongoing and we are working with our law enforcement partners to apprehend the remaining individuals involved.”
All seven men were sent to Rikers. Authorities are still searching for at least eight other suspects.
