The Texas Department of Public Safety and the Hays County Sheriff's Office said they , including minors, who they believe are connected to the Venezuelan transnational gang Tren de Aragua (TdA).
The sheriff's office said the arrests happened early Tuesday morning near Dripping Springs, off of Nutty Brown Road. DPS obtained a search warrant for a Hays County residence where the FBI learned of a potential gathering. DPS said it had been investigating the suspected gang for more than a year.
On April 1, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement joined federal, state, and local law enforcement partners in an operation in Hays County, Texas, resulting in the apprehension of 47 illegal aliens. They are currently in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings.
— ERO San Antonio (@EROSanAntonio)
" This is something that they've been investigating for a while," Hays County Sheriff Anthony Hipolito said. " From everything I've been told, everything went smooth, and these were all pretty bad dudes."
A total of 47 people were apprehended in Hays County, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agency joined federal, state and local law enforcement in the operation. Of the 47, 25 were adult men, nine were single women, four were "heads of households" and nine were children, according to ICE.
An ICE spokesperson said the individuals were taken into custody pending immigration proceedings and transported to the Austin Resident Office for processing.
The Department of Public Safety said narcotics were seized as part of the arrests, but did not share if charges had been filed.
The Trump administration designated Tren de Aragua as on Inauguration Day and believed to be involved in the gang in March.
The American Civil Liberties Union challenged the Trump administration's to remove suspected Venezuelan gang members and transfer them to a maximum security prison in El Salvador.
The checklist is part of the , which was last used during World War II and is best known for its role in Japanese internment camps in the western U.S. Advocates say the , and family members and attorneys of those accused across the country deny their loved ones have any affiliation with the gang.
Raynell Martinez, director of the Austin Venezuelan Association, said she's concerned about how the situation is being handled nationally and hopes that each person arrested in Hays County will have their cases evaluated separately.
"People that have the same nationality will live next to each other and will help each other," she said in Spanish. "But we can't say that because they help one another that they all belong to a gang."
DPS worked alongside the Hays County Sheriff's Office, FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security to obtain the search warrant before the arrests took place.
"State and federal prosecutors will evaluate potential charges based on evidence obtained during the search warrant and subsequent investigation," a press release from DPS read. "This case is currently under investigation. More details will be released as they become available."
