Meanwhile, law enforcement authorities are working on capturing him, a judge in Maryland released an alleged member of the Tren de Aragua, stating that the prosecution failed to demonstrate the burden of proof or justified his detention while awaiting trial against him in Texas.
Wilson José Mejías Mejías has been accused by the government of illegally entering the United States and being part of the transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua. He had an outstanding arrest warrant issued by the Court for the Southern District of Texas – Brownsville Division.
Arrest Warrant for Wilson José Mejías
On March 11, 2025, Ignacio Torteya III, a judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas – Brownsville Division, issued an arrest warrant for Venezuelan Wilson José Mejías Mejías based on a criminal complaint against him.
Mejías Mejías was apprehended in Brownsville, Texas, for allegedly illegally entering the United States without proper inspection or authorization, as reported by a Border Patrol agent who indicated that the individual had been previously deported and re-entered the country illegally.
Wilson José Mejías-Mejías is charged with violating Section 1325(a)(1) of Title 8 of the United States Code, concerning illegal entry into the U.S., and the arrest warrant instructs any authorized law enforcement officer to arrest and bring him before a judge without unnecessary delay.
The criminal complaint against Mejías Mejías was electronically filed under oath by Border Patrol agent Matthew Latvala, who stated that the defendant entered the United States at a place not designated by an immigration official near the Rio Grande in Brownsville, Texas, on November 24, 2023.
The accusation also indicates that Mejías admitted to having illegally entered the U.S. He is identified as a member of the foreign terrorist organization Tren de Aragua.
Judge’s Opinion on the Release of Wilson Mejías Mejías
Charles D. Austin, magistrate judge of the Maryland Court, found that the prosecution did not justify the detention until the trial
On March 18, 2025, Charles D. Austin, magistrate judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, issued a memorandum opinion regarding the release of Wilson Mejías-Mejías.
The charges against Mejías-Mejías are a result of his illegal entry into the United States and the government’s intention to seek his pretrial detention. The court ordered his release, stating that the prosecution did not adequately demonstrate a “serious” flight risk under the Bail Reform Act.
The magistrate pointed out that the aforementioned law sets forth a series of requirements to justify a pretrial detention hearing for non-violent charges based on “serious flight risk,” and the government failed to meet the burden of proof regarding the ICE detention order, concluding that the evidence presented did not meet the legal standard to keep the defendant in custody before the trial.
The initial hearing took place on March 14, 2025, in the Maryland Court, in the case of the United States against Wilson Mejías-Mejías, originating from the Southern District of Texas, during which the complaint was presented alleging that the defendant illegally entered the country in late 2023, in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1325.
The prosecution expressed its intention to seek detention of Mejías-Mejías while awaiting trial, and the defense challenged the basis for such detention based on the Bail Reform Act, specifically referencing 18 U.S.C. § 3142(f).
At the conclusion of the hearing, the judge ordered the release of the defendant, determining that the government did not meet its burden of proving the threshold issue of whether it could seek detention based on the grounds articulated.
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