A high-ranking member of the violent Venezuelan street gang Tren de Aragua is behind bars for the alleged murders of two women in Illinois earlier this year.
Ricardo Gonzales, 32, was arrested in Cobb County, Georgia last week in a joint operation led by the U.S. Marshals Service Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, the Chicago Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to the Department of Justice.
“This defendant’s crimes against American women are horrific, and he is exactly the type of Alien Enemy the Trump administration is fighting to remove from this country in order to make America safe again,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.
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Gonzales was wanted on an arrest warrant for alleged kidnapping, and on probable cause for two counts of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.
Prosecutors allege on Jan. 28, Gonzales kidnapped three women, transported them to an alley in Chicago and shot them in the head. The surviving victim managed to call 911 and two of the women were pronounced dead on the scene.
Gonzales was booked into the Cobb County Jail and is awaiting extradition to Chicago. As authorities were closing in on Gonzales, five additional individuals were arrested and transported to ICE detention facilities.
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The Cobb County Sheriff’s Office and Chicago Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
“This case is a reflection of the tireless work the U.S. Marshal Service and partnering agencies put in to make sure justice has its day in court,” USMS Acting Director Mark Pittella said in a statement. “Every arrest contributes to safer communities and demonstrates our unwavering commitment to protecting the public.”
The arrest came days before the U.S. resumed deportation flights to Venezuela after President Donald Trump struck a deal with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
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On Sunday, a flight carrying 199 illegal Venezuelan aliens – including members of Tren de Aragua – departed the U.S. en route to Honduras for an apparent hand-off to the Venezuelan government, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed to Fox News Digital.
The flight signified the end to a weeks-long standoff between the Trump administration and Maduro after the Venezuelan president refused to accept deportees from the U.S.
In recent weeks, approximately 350 migrants have been sent back to Venezuela via deportation flights.
“Venezuela is obligated to accept its repatriated citizens from the U.S.,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement posted to social media. “This is not an issue for debate or negotiation.”
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