A Venezuelan national and suspected member of the Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang has been charged with possessing a firearm as an undocumented immigrant, a federal offense, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced today.
Luis Ernesto Veliz Riera, 23, entered the United States at the Mexico-El Paso, Texas, border in February 2023, having booked an appointment through the now-disabled Customs and Border Protection One Application, which allowed undocumented immigrants to schedule entry at designated ports of entry.
Upon entering the U.S., Veliz Riera was issued a Notice to Appear before an immigration judge in Las Vegas, but he allegedly skipped the hearing and remained in El Paso while awaiting his girlfriend’s illegal entry into the U.S., authorities said. The couple then traveled through Chicago and New York City before settling in Homestead, Florida.
On October 17, 2024, law enforcement stopped Veliz Riera in connection with a TdA-related investigation. Authorities discovered that he had an open state warrant, was in the country illegally, and found a loaded Taurus PT609 Pro 9mm handgun with a 30-round magazine in his Homestead hotel room, which he shared with his girlfriend.
Veliz Riera was arrested on state charges and later charged for possession of a firearm as an undocumented immigrant.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
