In another victory over migrant crime, Homeland Security agents followed a trail of digital breadcrumbs to capture a high-ranking member of the dangerous Tren de Aragua gang in California, identifying and arresting the illegal immigrant criminal by cross-referencing pictures posted on social media with booking photos.
For context, Yonaiker Gallegos, who is allegedly the leader of the notorious Tren de Aragua gang’s California chapter, was reportedly located and arrested by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) on April 22, 2025, after he flaunted his weapons in social media posts. According to press accounts, HSI investigators used pictures of Gallegos’s tattoos and booking photos to confirm his identity.
In a statement released by HSI after the arrest, a spokesperson confirmed that Gallegos had been operating under an alias. The spokesperson explained, “On Tuesday evening, April 22, 2025, HSI was able to locate Gallegos, who was utilizing the false name Yoniaker (sic) Rafel Martinez-Ramos, who was in state custody in Los Angeles County on misdemeanor charges.”
Additionally, HSI provided more background on the arrest in a post on X, writing, “#HSI Los Angeles and @EROLosAngeles administratively arrested Yonaiker Martinez Ramos aka Yonaiker Gallegos, a suspected Tren de Aragua member, for being unlawfully present in the U.S. Martinez is a citizen of Venezuela and illegally crossed the border in Texas.”
In response to the X post from HSI, conservatives expressed their gratitude and criticized the left’s response to deportations, with the user JustinTime writing, “The Democrats will call him a California Father and demand his release,” and another user chiming in, “Good riddance to another illegal criminal.”
Following Gallegos’s arrest, white House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller also posted on X regarding the gang member’s capture, saying, “Reminder that the courts are currently blocking the removal of illegal alien Tren de Aragua terrorists.” In response, X user Matt Van Swol wrote, “How did we let so many of these gang leaders into the country? Did we seriously do ZERO vetting of any of these people before letting them in?”
Gallegos’s arrest took place just a few days after the arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan, who was jailed on Friday, April 25, 2025, after she reportedly attempted to stop federal agents from arresting another suspected Tren de Aragua gang member named Eduardo Flores-Ruiz. Judge Dugan’s arrest led Attorney General Pam Bondi to say, “I think some of these judges think they are beyond and above the law, and they are not.”
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After Judge Dugan’s arrest, border czar Tom Homan shared a post on X, which fiercely criticized Dugan’s behavior. Homan wrote, “I have said many times within the past few months that people can choose to support illegal immigration and not assist ICE in removing criminal illegal aliens from our communities, BUT DON’T CROSS THAT LINE. If you actively impede our enforcement efforts or if you knowingly harbor or conceal illegal aliens from ICE, you will be prosecuted. These actions are felonies. More to come…”
Watch coverage of Judge Dugan’s arrest:
Featured image Credit: HSI California via X