ICE Issues Arrest Warrant for Venezuelan Illegal Immigrant Affiliated With Tren de Aragua

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued an arrest warrant Thursday for an illegal immigrant and member of the Tren de Aragua gang who allegedly killed a woman in Aurora, Colorado.

“The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an arrest detainer against Michel Jordan Castellano Fonseca, a criminal illegal alien from Venezuela with ties to Tren de Aragua (TdA),” DHS said in an Aug. 7 press release.

ICE arrest warrants are legal requests to state or local authorities to hold illegal immigrants in custody and turn them over to immigration authorities.

On Aug. 3, Castellano Fonseca, 30, allegedly broke into an apartment and shot two women—his sister-in-law and his wife—in front of five children present at the home. 

As a result of the shooting, his 26-year-old sister-in-law died, while his 30-year-old wife was seriously injured and taken to a local hospital.

The Aurora Police Department said in a separate statement that none of the children, aged between 1 and 15, were injured during the shooting, nor was the third adult present at the scene, a 20-year-old man. The department arrested Castellano Fonseca the next day, Aug. 4, and charged him with first-degree murder. It added that it is investigating additional charges.

The Aurora Police Department said the investigation is ongoing and urged anyone with information about the case to contact the Crime Stoppers hotline.

At the time of his arrest, Castellano Fonseca had an arrest warrant for domestic violence in Arapahoe County, Colorado, DHS said.

The agency said the Venezuelan entered the country illegally in December 2023 and was released with a notice to appear before an immigration judge. In October 2024, Castellano was arrested by the Port Richey Police Department for driving without a valid license.

The Department of Justice named Colorado a sanctuary state in a recent update on sanctuary jurisdictions on Aug. 5. According to the Trump administration, jurisdictions with sanctuary policies are in violation of federal immigration law.

“On Sunday, this monster shot two women, killing one, in front of five innocent children,” DHS deputy press secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in the Aug. 7 release. “Colorado—a sanctuary state—has given cover to Tren de Aragua gang members to terrorize our communities.”

Tren de Aragua was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the State Department in February.

Joseph Lord contributed to this report.