🚨🇻🇪 Over 40 Arrested in Texas Home Raid Amid Investigation Into Venezuelan Tren de Aragua Gang
⚖️🛑 Outrage Grows as U.S. Deports Maryland Man to El Salvador Prison Despite Legal Protections ✈️🧾 Turkish Student Detained by ICE Moved Before Judge’s Order, Prompting Legal Clash
🚨🇻🇪 Over 40 Arrested in Texas Home Raid Amid Investigation Into Venezuelan Tren de Aragua Gang
Alejandro Serrano, The Texas Tribune.- More than 40 individuals were arrested during a raid on a Hays County residence this week as part of a multi-agency investigation into the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety and the FBI. The arrests followed intelligence gathered by the FBI about a gathering of alleged gang associates. State and federal authorities, including ICE and the Hays County Sheriff’s Office, participated in executing the search warrant. While officials have not specified the alleged crimes committed by the detainees, prosecutors are reviewing the evidence to determine potential charges. President Trump’s administration has named Tren de Aragua a significant threat and is pursuing mass deportations of suspected affiliates. However, families of detained Venezuelans insist many are not gang members. Authorities have not disclosed where the detainees are being held or provided additional details about the operation, which is part of an ongoing case.
🚔🚌 Venezuelan Gang Suspect Recaptured on Denver Bus After Escaping ICE Detention in Power Outage
Colleen Slevin, AP News.- Geilond Vido-Romero, a 24-year-old Venezuelan national and suspected Tren de Aragua gang associate, was arrested Tuesday in Denver after escaping an ICE detention center in Aurora, Colorado, during a March 18 power outage. U.S. Marshals apprehended him on a bus along Colfax Avenue. Vido-Romero and another detainee reportedly walked out when detention center doors malfunctioned during the blackout. The other escapee, Joel Gonzalez-Gonzalez of Mexico, was found three days later. Vido-Romero was initially detained by ICE in February following a shoplifting arrest at Park Meadows Mall, where he allegedly stole a puffer jacket and jewelry. His ties to the notorious Venezuelan prison gang drew attention amid President Trump’s aggressive deportation campaign. Vido-Romero had reportedly lived at a now-shuttered apartment complex in Aurora where armed gang activity and kidnappings occurred. No attorney is currently listed for his defense.
🧵🇸🇾 Syrian Rugmaker Rebuilds Life and Legacy in Houston After Escaping Civil War
Antranik Tavitian, Houston Landing.- Mahmoud Koseyaem, a Syrian master weaver from Aleppo, has rebuilt his life in Kingwood, Texas, after fleeing civil war, chemical attacks, and imprisonment under the Al-Assad regime. Now based in Houston with his wife Alyssa Young and daughter Mila Rose, Koseyaem runs Magic Rugs, selling handmade tapestries, imported rugs, Aleppo soap, and antiques at Texas markets and online. Koseyaem, whose family has woven rugs for eight generations, invented a compact loom to work from home and continues to teach and create intricate pieces. He and Young, also a weaver, met in Dubai before relocating to the U.S. in 2021 due to economic setbacks from the pandemic. As he balances weaving with American entrepreneurship, Koseyaem hopes to return to Aleppo someday, now that Syria’s regime has fallen. For now, he keeps tradition alive through thread, texture, and family connection across borders.
⚖️🛑 Outrage Grows as U.S. Deports Maryland Man to El Salvador Prison Despite Legal Protections
Ben Finley, AP News.– Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old Maryland resident with legal protections against deportation, was mistakenly removed to El Salvador on March 12, where he now sits in the notorious Terrorism Confinement Center. The Trump administration admitted the deportation was an "administrative error" but refused to seek his return, citing unproven allegations of gang affiliation. Abrego Garcia, who had a valid work permit and was granted protection from deportation in 2019, was arrested during a traffic stop with his young son and deported within days. His attorneys and family deny gang ties and are demanding accountability. Court filings include emotional testimony from his wife about their son’s trauma and challenge the government’s claim that it lacks the authority to bring him back. The case has sparked national concern over legal rights violations and the dangers of deporting protected individuals without due process.
✈️🧾 Turkish Student Detained by ICE Moved Before Judge’s Order, Prompting Legal Clash
Kathy McCormack and Michael Casey, AP News.– Rumeysa Ozturk, a 30-year-old Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University, was moved to a Louisiana detention facility before a federal judge in Boston could block her removal. Ozturk was detained on March 25 in Massachusetts and transferred through New Hampshire and Vermont before ending up at an ICE facility in Basile, Louisiana, a move her lawyers call a “deliberate and secretive” attempt to avoid legal jurisdiction. Her detention, allegedly linked to support for Hamas—though the government has provided no evidence—has raised concerns about due process and freedom of speech. ICE claims the court lacks jurisdiction and has scheduled an immigration hearing in Louisiana for April 7. Ozturk’s supporters, including Tufts University’s president and 20 colleagues, describe her as a respected academic unfairly targeted for writing an op-ed supporting Palestinian students. Her attorneys seek her return to Massachusetts and immediate release.
👧⚖️ Legal Aid for Migrant Children in Limbo Despite Judge’s Order to Reinstate Services
Janie Har, AP News.- Legal aid clinics remain uncertain about the future of direct representation for unaccompanied migrant children, even after a federal judge ordered the temporary restoration of services canceled by the Trump administration. Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín ruled Tuesday that the abrupt termination of a $200 million contract with the Acacia Center for Justice may violate the 2008 anti-trafficking law mandating legal counsel for vulnerable children. Although the order took effect Wednesday and runs through April 16, legal providers say they’ve received no guidance from the government and cannot rehire staff or accept new clients. Government attorneys argue that courts lack jurisdiction over expiring contracts and suggest that services can continue pro bono. Advocates counter that the government must create a plan for legal aid using funds Congress has already allocated. The situation underscores broader legal clashes over the administration’s immigration policies targeting minors.
🌧️🚨 At Least 6 Dead, Hundreds Rescued After Devastating Floods in Rio Grande Valley
Steve Clark, The Monitor.- A historic storm that swept through the Rio Grande Valley from March 26-28 left at least six people dead and hundreds rescued from dangerous floodwaters, according to a preliminary report by the National Weather Service. The victims included two Sebastian residents killed in a trailer fire likely caused by lightning and three drowning victims in Hidalgo County, including two migrants involved in a smuggling incident near Edcouch. An additional fatality occurred in Reynosa. More than 1,000 structures were flooded, with water levels exceeding four feet in some areas. Thousands of vehicles were submerged or abandoned, while roadways and bridges sustained significant damage. Harlingen suffered the worst flooding, breaking a historic crest record as the Arroyo Colorado rose to 30.44 feet. Governor Abbott declared a disaster in four counties, and FEMA is assisting with damage assessments. Losses are expected to exceed $100 million as recovery continues.