A man wanted on two counts of murder in Venezuela was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a Broward apartment building on Thursday.
CBS News Miami was there for the arrest of the man—whose identity ICE has asked us not to disclose—as part of a ride-along with the law enforcement agency.
With growing questions and concerns about immigration enforcement and removal operations, CBS Miami had been requesting a ride-along since the new administration took over in January.
That request was granted Thursday, and our cameras were rolling for the targeted enforcement operation arranged by ICE.
CBS News Miami did not have any control over which operation we were allowed to witness.
Operation begins with briefing and strategy in Miramar
The day started around 10:30 a.m. at the agency’s facility in Miramar with a quick rundown of the plan.
“He’s a foreign fugitive wanted for double murder out of Venezuela,” one man explained to the team. “The other male, the friend who was helping him with the car issues—we’re going to try to arrest him too… He hasn’t been accounted for by us yet, so we’re going to try to get a two-for-one.”
After a moment for questions, the team geared up with protective equipment and headed out.
ICE Assistant Field Office Director Mitchell Diaz said they are simply continuing the work they’ve always done.
“This is what we do every day,” Diaz said. “There’s no change from this current administration to the prior administration or any other administration before that. We want to make sure that we’re protecting the community, the public, and national security.”
Surveillance leads agents to Broward arrest
Thursday’s investigation led officers to an apartment building near Sunrise. Surveillance had suggested the target would leave for work around 1 p.m. By 1:50 p.m., agents had him in sight.
ICE requested that his name and face not be shared publicly as the case remains pending. Officials say the man, in his late twenties, is wanted in Venezuela for two counts of first-degree murder, organized crime, and aggravated assault.
Records indicate he traveled through Colombia and Brazil before entering the United States illegally. ICE reports he has been a fugitive since 2018. He will face an immigration judge in the U.S. before being returned to Venezuela to face charges.
Diaz emphasized that immigration arrests like this one are administrative, not criminal—though that doesn’t mean they’re without risk.
“There are always nerves. The officer safety aspect of it—this is like every law enforcement agency,” Diaz said. “These are brave men that are going out there every day to ensure that not only national security but the community and the public are safe from these individuals.”
Questions surround immigration practices and public perception
ICE recently touted the arrest of more than 1,100 undocumented immigrants in Florida over the span of a week in an operation dubbed Operation Tidal Wave. But Diaz insisted that these were not “raids” as some critics describe.
“These are targeted enforcement actions. Raids are different,” he explained. “A raid could be based on employment inspections just to ensure that the employer is following U.S. laws and immigration laws. A lot of these individuals that may be part of a raid may be working with fraudulent documents, Social Security numbers, and fraudulent employment cards. So raids are completely different than what ICE does as to fugitive operations.”
During the ride-along, officers also arrested a second individual who admitted to being in the U.S. illegally.
Following the arrests, the team returned to Miramar, where both individuals were fingerprinted and processed to determine if they appear in any law enforcement databases. They will remain in ICE detention until they appear before an immigration judge in the coming days.
CBS News Miami asked ICE about reports of people being arrested outside immigration courts. Officials stressed that such arrests are part of targeted enforcement, not random sweeps.
We also inquired about concerns over parents being deported without their children. ICE responded that parents are given the choice to take their children with them or to leave them in the custody of someone within the U.S.
According to ICE, individuals with a final order of removal—or who illegally re-entered the U.S. after being previously deported—are subject to immediate removal. Others, they say, are afforded due process under immigration law.
Lauren Pastrana
Lauren Pastrana is the co-anchor of CBS4 News weeknights at 5, 6, 7 and 11 p.m. She joined CBS Miami in April 2012 as a reporter. She is an Emmy-nominated, multimedia journalist with experience in television, radio and web-based news reporting.
