Homeland Security Secretary Noem Highlights Immigrant Arrests in NYC

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joined federal agents in New York City on Tuesday to announce the arrests of several immigrants wanted on criminal charges, including a man linked to a viral kidnapping case in Colorado.

The visit marks the latest effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to publicly emphasize its intensified immigration enforcement policies. Just days earlier, Border Czar Tom Homan and acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove made a similar appearance in Chicago, where federal agents conducted additional arrests.

High-Profile Arrest in the Bronx

One of the key arrests made Tuesday was Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, 26, who was taken into custody in the Bronx. Authorities allege that he was involved in a Colorado apartment invasion last summer alongside reputed members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The incident was captured on a viral video that drew national attention.

According to an arrest warrant from Aurora, Colorado, Zambrano-Pacheco is also accused of participating in a kidnapping in June in which at least 20 armed men abducted and threatened two people.

The Colorado charges were brought by local authorities, and it remains unclear what legal proceedings will follow his arrest in New York.

Trump Administration’s “Operation Aurora”

The viral Colorado video played a pivotal role in Trump’s presidential campaign, leading him to launch “Operation Aurora”, a federal initiative targeting migrant gangs. Trump claimed that the Denver suburb of Aurora had been taken over by Tren de Aragua, though local officials refuted those claims.

Authorities say Zambrano-Pacheco was also present during a shooting that occurred shortly after the apartment invasion, though his direct involvement in the violence remains unclear.

He is now the fifth person arrested in connection with the incident.

Local and Federal Reactions to Immigration Crackdown

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, acknowledged the arrests but downplayed the significance of the operation.

“I want to be clear—there have always been ICE raids in New York. This is not a new dynamic,” Hochul said.

In Chicago, where similar immigration enforcement operations took place over the weekend, Mayor Brandon Johnson condemned the federal crackdown.

“This desire to popularize fear is unconscionable and abhorrent,” Johnson said in a press conference. He also reaffirmed Chicago’s status as a sanctuary city, barring local law enforcement from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling confirmed that Chicago police did not participate in or assist federal agents. However, he estimated that around 100 people were taken into custody.

Federal Operations in Colorado and New York

Federal authorities have been targeting Tren de Aragua in multiple states, including Colorado, where 41 people were arrested in a raid over the weekend.

However, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said none of those detainees are likely to face drug or weapons charges because they dropped their drugs and guns before agents entered a makeshift nightclub near Denver.

Meanwhile, in New York, neighbors in the Bronx reacted with caution to Tuesday’s arrests.

Richard Egu, 50, a correctional officer originally from Nigeria, said he was woken up by the early-morning raid but didn’t investigate.

“You need to give immigrants a chance. These people are already here,” he said. “Figure out the ones who are committing the crimes. Don’t just judge all immigrants as criminals.”