Homeland Security Arrests 14 in South Florida Under Laken Riley Act, Claims Several Belong to ‘Tren de Aragua’ Gang

The Department of Homeland Security arrested 14 undocumented immigrants in South Florida this week, as part of an operation tied to the Laken Riley Act, which mandates the detention of non-U.S. nationals accused of violent crimes or theft.

Among those detained were individuals accused of sexual assault and suspected members of the notorious “Tren de Aragua” gang. The arrests came after a three-day operation and are the latest in a series of enforcement actions under the law, signed into effect by President Donald Trump in January.

In other Florida news related to The Laken Riley Act, the state’s Republican Party released an ad slamming U.S. Democratic Reps. Maxwell Frost and Darren Soto for voting against the bill, claiming both representatives “chose illegal criminals over Floridians’ safety.” The video was shared through the Florida GOPs official X account:

The Laken Riley Act, named after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student murdered in February 2024 by Jose Ibarra, an undocumented immigrant, aims to strengthen immigration enforcement. The law mandates the detention of undocumented immigrants who are charged with serious offenses such as theft, assault on law enforcement officers, or any crime that causes death or serious injury.

The law also allows for state attorneys general to sue the Department of Homeland Security over perceived failures in immigration enforcement. “It’s a landmark law that we’re doing today,” Trump stated at the signing, emphasizing that it would save innocent American lives. In addition to detaining individuals for crimes, the law further extends authority to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain those arrested or accused of these crimes, even before conviction.

Critics of the law have stated that it could lead to racial profiling. “The act would require detention without a chance of bond for people who have merely been charged could potentially pave the way for exacerbating the consequences of already extreme racial disparities in criminal arrests in the U.S.,” said Anna Cabot, director of the University of Houston Law Center’s Immigration Clinic to The Latin Times in January.