The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) released limited information about a November 16 raid that left 143 people detained, but only reported that 51 had links to the Aragua gang train, without providing details of the other 92 who may not have criminal records.

So far, authorities have not released a list with the names of those detained, but reported that most are Venezuelan nationals, 21 are Honduran, 14 are Mexican, four are Cuban, two are Ecuadorian, one is Nicaraguan, one is Peruvian, one is Guatemalan, and one is Salvadoran.

The detainees, arrested in an operation that took place around 3 am on Sunday the 16th, were transferred to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Authorities assert that at least 51 of the individuals detained are “confirmed” members of the Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang. However, they did not provide further evidence to explain the connection to the criminal group. Only 25 of those arrested, the FBI detailed, have “criminal records,” 13 for federal crimes and 12 for misdemeanors. However, questions remain about the other 92 people who were arrested that morning at a location under surveillance by state personnel for possible illegal activity, an investigation focused on a suspected drug trafficker, according to records. This raid in South Texas is the latest example of the Trump administration's strategy of arrests with partial or no public information. In response, organizations such as Human Rights Watch (HRW) have accused the government of committing abuses against the population through the indiscriminate arrest of migrants and people of Latino origin “without respect for their human rights.” In similar operations in other cities such as Chicago (Illinois) and Charlotte (Illinois), In North Carolina and Boston (Massachusetts), it has been observed that people with no criminal record or legal status in the US are also being arrested as a consequence of the expansion of federal forces.

The raid has provoked criticism from Democratic legislators representing several districts in San Antonio in the national Congress, who have demanded that the Government provide more information about the reason for the operation and those arrested.

Congressman Joaquin Castro made public this week the search warrant, issued by a Bexar County district judge, who authorized the operation.

In the document, a special agent from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) details that his agency had been “investigating” the site where the raid took place for months, as they had information from a confidential witness that drugs were being sold and clandestine parties frequented by “members of the Tren de Aragua” were being held at one of the establishments.

Using the confidential witness, DPS claims to have verified that an individual, identified as the person in charge of the establishment, was selling cocaine at the location.

However, Castro criticized what he called “an unacceptable lack of transparency” on the part of the government regarding the operation. A video recorded in a nearby food truck even captured the arrival of numerous law enforcement officers to arrest dozens of people. Later, an officer is seen using an umbrella to break the security camera.An officer is seen using an umbrella to break the security camera.An officer is seen using an umbrella to break the security camera.