ICE Arrests Tren de Aragua Suspects in Chicago Shooting

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested two Venezuelan nationals, Ricardo Granadillo Padilla and Edward Martinez Cermeno, alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang, in connection with a December 2024 mass shooting at a house party in Chicago that left three dead and five injured. Granadillo Padilla was apprehended in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Martinez Cermeno in Schaumburg, Illinois; both face immigration and potential criminal charges for illegal entry into the United States. Authorities seized firearms, high-capacity magazines, narcotics, and fraudulent documents during the arrests and searches. The victims, all wounded by gunfire, were attending a gathering mostly comprised of Venezuelan nationals. ICE has also detained 16 additional alleged Tren de Aragua gang affiliates in Chicago and Raleigh for immigration violations. The case has heightened concern about transnational gang activity and illegal immigration in the U.S.