ORLANDO, Fla. – A man allegedly affiliated with Tren de Aragua, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization from Venezuela, was arrested Friday in Florida, the first arrest in the nation under the Alien Enemies Act, officials said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis posted on X that Franklin Jose Jimenez-Bracho, whom officials said is a known Tren de Aragua gang member, was “wanted as a human trafficker and smuggler.”
“Once again, Florida leads the way,” DeSantis said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement thanked DeSantis in a social media post, saying, “Keeping Floridians safe isn’t just talk—it’s action.
The FLDE said state law enforcement now “has the power to take down foreign terrorist organizations like Tren de Aragua.”
According to the FDLE, special agents steered Bracho into a group of FHP troopers and other Task Force members, who took him into custody, but no other details about the operation have been released.
The operation was a collaborative effort that included the FDLE, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Homeland Security Investigations (Orlando office), the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the FBI and the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.