Mexican cartel drones in El Paso to blame for airspace closure: DOW
The Federal Aviation Administration briefly shut down El Paso flights after Mexican cartel drones "breached" American airspace on Tuesday.
The FAA lifted the flight restrictions Wednesday morning, less than 24 hours later, after initially establishing a 10-day closure due to "special security concerns."
'All flights will resume as normal.'
An official from President Donald Trump's administration later clarified the security concern to Blaze News, noting the Department of War's involvement.
"Mexican cartel drones breached U.S. airspace," the official told Blaze News. "The Department of War took action to disable the drones. The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel."
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The FAA reiterated that flights have resumed as normal in a statement posted on X.
"The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted," the statement reads. "There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal."
RELATED: Exclusive: ICE busts pedophile, abuser, and fentanyl trafficker despite ongoing shutdown
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Exclusive: ICE busts pedophile, abuser, and fentanyl trafficker despite ongoing shutdown
The government shutdown has not hindered the Trump administration's federal agents from continuing nationwide immigration enforcement.
‘Nothing will slow us down from making America safe again — not even a government shutdown.’
On Tuesday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more of the “worst of the worst” criminal illegal aliens, including pedophiles, abusers, and drug traffickers, according to a Department of Homeland Security press release exclusively obtained by Blaze News.
“The Democrats’ government shutdown will not stop DHS law enforcement from arresting and removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from American communities. Just yesterday, ICE arrested pedophiles, abusers, violent assailants, and drug traffickers from America’s streets,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated.
“Nothing will slow us down from making America safe again — not even a government shutdown," McLaughlin added.
The DHS highlighted five of those arrests.
Elroy Smith, a Jamaican national, was previously convicted in Philadelphia of unlawful contact with a minor — sexual offenses and indecent assault of a person less than 13 years old. Court records show that he was sentenced in 2024 to a minimum of 11.5 months in jail.
RELATED: Major shake-up reportedly under way at DHS as Trump administration works to increase deportations
ICE nabbed Joel Ocampo-Martinez, a Mexican national with a criminal record in Vernal, Utah, for attempted forcible sexual abuse.
Federal agents arrested Oscar Hernandez-Aguire, a Salvadoran national who was convicted in Los Angeles for inflicting corporal injury on a spouse.
Luis Mario Martinez-Gonzalez, a Mexican national, was found guilty in El Paso County, Texas, for assault on a public servant.
ICE also captured Osiris Alexander Rodriguez-Guzman, a national from the Dominican Republic, who was convicted in Essex Superior Court in Massachusetts for trafficking 200 grams or more of fentanyl. Gov. Maura Healey’s administration announced Rodriguez-Guzman’s drug trafficking arrest in 2022 as part of a state and federal takedown operation that resulted in a dozen arrests.
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Border agent accused of being cartel member who smuggled illegal aliens into the US
A United States Customs and Border Protection agent stands accused of being a Mexican drug cartel member who exploited his position to smuggle illegal aliens into the country.
CBP officer Manuel Perez Jr., 32, was terminated from the agency when he was arrested on federal human- and drug-smuggling charges on February 8, according to the El Paso Times.
'By all measures, he lives in Mexico.'
Perez, a U.S. citizen born in California, was stationed at the Paso del Norte International Bridge in El Paso, Texas.
If found guilty, he could face up to a decade in prison.
A special agent with the CBP Office of Professional Responsibility testified that Perez was a member of a drug cartel.
“Multiple witnesses said he belonged to La Linea cartel in Mexico,” the special agent stated.
The agent explained that intercepted phone calls from smugglers promised a “100% guaranteed” border crossing, claiming that they had “the officer in their pocket.”
Perez’s lawyer, Ruben Ortiz, claimed that the alleged co-conspirators could be lying about his client’s involvement. He accused them of “pointing fingers, perhaps to gain favor from the government in their own cases.”
“The cooperating witnesses are telling them (federal investigators) whatever they want to hear for now,” Ortiz stated.
The agent testified that Perez admitted to federal investigators that he received $2,500 for each illegal alien he allowed to pass through his inspection lane at the southern border. Investigators revealed that Perez permitted a gray Nissan Pathfinder carrying illegal aliens to cross the border multiple times. The exact number of illegal immigrants, including children, that Perez allegedly allowed into the U.S. remains unclear.
Federal investigators estimated that Perez could have been paid up to $400,000 since December 2023 for his involvement in the illegal smuggling operation. He is also accused of participating in a cocaine distribution scheme from November 2019 through February 5, 2025.
Perez has no prior history of criminal activity or substance abuse.
The investigation into Perez uncovered that the CBP officer allegedly spent approximately 80% of his time in Mexico despite claiming he resided in El Paso.
“By all measures, he lives in Mexico,” prosecutors argued.
The special agent testified that Perez was always armed and had an armed security detail with him while he was in Mexico.
Ortiz stated that his client spent significant time in Mexico because he had a girlfriend living there.
One witness claimed that Perez had expressed a preference to be detained in Mexico if arrested so that he could continue his illegal activities from inside the jail.
Mexican agents reportedly searched Perez’s rental property in Juárez and discovered $18,000 in cash.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Miguel Torres rejected Ortiz’s request to release Perez on bond with GPS monitoring. The judge determined there was "no question" Perez posed a flight risk, citing the extensive time he spent in Mexico. Consequently, Perez will remain in jail without bond.
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Female accused of DWI allegedly rear-ends truck, leaves it badly damaged. Cops don't need to travel far to nab suspect.
A female was accused of driving while intoxicated early Saturday morning after Texas officials said she rear-ended a marked police vehicle.
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office said its Special Traffic Investigators responded at 2:44 a.m. to a motor vehicle crash in the 5300 block of Railroad Drive in El Paso.
'This crash underscores the risks that intoxicated drivers pose to law enforcement officers and the public,' Sheriff Oscar Ugarte stated.
It turns out the crash involved a marked El Paso County Constable’s Office Patrol Unit from Precinct 1 and a black Audi A4.
Officials said the deputy from Precinct 1 was traveling northbound on Railroad Drive assisting with a call — and the patrol vehicle's emergency lights were activated, and it was moving at a "slower pace than normal traffic."
But officials said the Audi driver collided into the rear of the patrol vehicle, causing heavy rear-end damage to the patrol vehicle.
The deputy was taken to the University Medical Center for evaluation but was soon released and was doing well, officials said.
Kimberly Dominguez, 24, the driver of the Audi — which officials said sustained significant front-end damage — was placed under arrest for DWI with a bond set at $2,000. She also had an outstanding warrant for driving with no license, carrying a $375 bond, officials added.
“This crash underscores the risks that intoxicated drivers pose to law enforcement officers and the public," Sheriff Oscar Ugarte stated. "We remain committed to keeping our roads safe and holding those who drive under the influence accountable.”
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office also warned drivers to make responsible decisions, designate a sober driver, and remain vigilant, especially around emergency vehicles with activated lights. Officials encouraged anyone who witnesses reckless or impaired driving to immediately report such instances.
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Discovery of sophisticated 'narco tunnel' in highly visible border area raises questions about surveillance
United States federal agents on Thursday uncovered a sophisticated "narco tunnel" between El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico.
The tunnel was approximately four feet wide and six feet high, reinforced with wooden beams, and equipped with electricity and a ventilation system.
'Someone had to have noticed that.'
A map of the man-made tunnel shared by Border Report showed that it began next to a six-lane highway in Juarez and continued under a levee and the Rio Grande. The entrance, a three-foot-by-three-foot hole, was hidden behind a metal plate.
Authorities stated that the tunnel, which was discovered by Border Patrol's Confined Space Entry Team, appears to have been constructed within the past year and was used to smuggle drugs and people into the U.S.
Homeland Security Investigations El Paso Special Agent in Charge Jason Stevens stated, "Transnational criminal organizations mistakenly think they can avoid detection by moving people and contraband underground."
"This recent discovery is a significant blow to their operations, as it highlights our capability to disrupt their sophisticated smuggling networks," he said.
Border Patrol El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Anthony Good attributed the discovery to regular probes around the border.
However, former Border Patrol Tucson Sector Chief Patrol Agent Victor Manjarrez questioned how the tunnel was built in a high-visibility area without being detected sooner. He noted that the structure could not have been built with "a pick and shovel" but must have been built with construction machines.
"I find it hard to believe someone on the Mexican side did not know of a tunnel. There are too many logistical things that have to occur. One is, you gotta bring the equipment in. You may have started with a pick and shovel or vertical drilling, but ultimately you have to bring in equipment," Manjarrez told Border Report. "You are bringing a tremendous amount of dirt, rocks, things of that nature. You gotta put that somewhere."
"I'm certain the cartel did not hook up to the meter so they could pay their monthly bill on that, so they hooked that up to somewhere else, and someone had to have noticed that. To say they did not notice, that they weren't aware of that at this point, is not believable," he stated.
Manjarrez speculated that the tunnel was likely used to smuggle drugs or "high value" foreign nationals.
"It would make more sense it was being used to bring people from China, from Southeast Asia, or Europe that can pay $25,000 to $30,000 to be smuggled to the United States. If you go for volume, it becomes a risk because someone could talk. This isn't for the economic migrant you normally see here," he said. "Also, people coming from special interest areas. They may not be on the list itself but come from a terrorist region. Those are the ones more invested in not being detected."
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Venezuelan gang leads attack at border with makeshift weapons, aims to harm soldiers: Report
Tren de Aragua, the violent transnational crime syndicate that started as a Venezuelan prison gang, has ramped up its attacks at the U.S.-Mexico border as President-elect Donald Trump's Inauguration Day approaches, according to a leaked memo.
The memo from the Texas Department of Public Safety, obtained by the New York Post, revealed that a group of 20 TDA gang members attempted to break into the country at an El Paso border crossing last week. The suspects were reportedly armed with blades, tire irons, and broken liquor bottles, the news outlet stated.
'A terrorist ideology of destruction.'
Texas DPS said that it suspects the gang has planned similar future attacks. The memo reportedly stemmed from an anonymous informant who warned that TDA was plotting border invasions that "would continue every night" around 3 a.m.
The source claimed that the gang members intend to "cause harm" to the Texas National Guard soldiers stationed near the border, "especially when they are left alone with no agents."
"Gunfire has picked up big time" near the El Paso border, one Texas law enforcement source told the Post. Authorities have responded to the uptick in violence by deploying more pepper balls, the source noted.
Victor Avila, a former Department of Homeland Security agent, told the Post that the violence at the southern border has increased because TDA knows that the Trump administration will start going after them.
Trump and his incoming border czar, Tom Homan, have vowed to focus their mass deportation efforts on the removal of criminals and gang members.
Venezuela does not cooperate with the U.S. in accepting repatriation flights. However, Trump and Homan have indicated that they believe that will change under the new administration. Additionally, the Trump administration has reportedly already secured an arrangement with Guatemala to accept deported illegal aliens from other countries.
Avila warned that TDA has "teamed up" with Mexican cartels to facilitate smuggling operations.
"I think that TDA is coming in with an instruction from their home country. And I think that their ideology is more of a terrorist ideology of destruction," Avila explained. "They hate the United States just like terrorists do and they will kill, destroy, take over businesses, take over stores, and take over apartment complexes, do whatever they have to do to destroy our way of life in the U.S."
Alfonso Aguilar, the former chief of the U.S. Office of Citizenship, also stated that he believes members of TDA are trying to sneak into the country before the window closes.
"We're seeing criminal organizations, members of Tren de Aragua, trying to get to the southern border and doing everything they can to enter the country because they know as soon as the Trump administration starts, it's going to be almost impossible to enter the country and be released into the community as it has happened during these past four years," Aguilar said.
Texas DPS did not respond to a request for comment from the Post.
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Laken Riley’s Murderer Was Sentenced — But Justice Isn’t Served While Mayorkas Gets To Walk Free
On Wednesday, the illegal immigrant who brutally murdered Laken Riley was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. But justice is far from served because the bureaucrats, politicians, and officials who deliberately let Jose Ibarra into this country illegally are still sitting comfortably at swanky Washington, D.C., dinners, sipping their cocktails while […]Laken Riley’s Murderer Was Sentenced — But Justice Isn’t Served While Mayorkas Gets To Walk Free
On Wednesday, the illegal immigrant who brutally murdered Laken Riley was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. But justice is far from served because the bureaucrats, politicians, and officials who deliberately let Jose Ibarra into this country illegally are still sitting comfortably at swanky Washington, D.C., dinners, sipping their cocktails while […]Over 100 suspected Tren de Aragua members participated in ‘riot’ at the border: Gov Abbott
Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) revealed on Monday that more than 100 suspected members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua were identified within the massive group that stormed the southern border in El Paso, Texas, in March.
During a press conference in Houston, Abbott announced, in response to TDA’s expanded presence within the United States, a “comprehensive, statewide operation that will aggressively target the dangerous” group.
'Texas is aggressively going after these foreign terrorist organizations.'
As part of the mission, the governor designated the gang a terrorist organization. The Texas Department of Public Safety has been instructed to elevate TDA to a Tier 1 gang. The agency will also create a TDA Strike Team dedicated to rooting out the criminal organization. TDA members caught illegally smuggling people into the state could face a mandatory 10-year minimum sentence.
“The recent entry and expansion of the vicious Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, is a dangerous and deadly problem facing our state and nation,” Abbott remarked.
“Our goal is to defend Texas from the growing threat of the gang. We will not let them use Texas as a base of operations to terrorize our citizens. They have a target on their back, and we are going after them. Texas is the wrong state for them to try to do business in,” he said.
Earlier this year, law enforcement agents at the El Paso border were bombarded by a large group of unruly illegal aliens who attempted to push past them on their way into the U.S. Footage of the incident, captured by the New York Post, showed the group of primarily adult men tearing down the concertina wire near Gate 36, which is not a designated port of entry.
As a result of the incident, 211 individuals received riot participation charges. However, El Paso County Judge Ruben Morales dismissed the charges in May, Blaze News previously reported. The suspects were released and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody to face federal illegal entry charges.
An ICE spokesperson previously revealed to the Post that many of the suspects were released into the interior of the country, others were deported, and some remained in custody.
On Monday, Abbott revealed that suspected TDA members were believed to be a part of the incident.
He stated, “Earlier this year, more than 100 suspected TdA members were arrested after the riots at the El Paso border, when immigrants assaulted the Texas National Guard.”
“Texas is aggressively going after these foreign terrorist organizations of TdA,” Abbott added.
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