The legal files against alleged members of the Tren de Aragua are overwhelming the federal courts in the United States. One of these cases involves Luis Enrique Veliz Riera, a 23-year-old Venezuelan charged with illegal possession of firearms as an undocumented immigrant.
Veliz Riera was arrested in March 2025 in Miami for illegal firearms possession while being an undocumented foreign national, under the presumption of being a member of the transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua.
The accused was presented by the Federal Prosecutor for the Southern District of Florida at the corresponding court for judicial processing. It was revealed that Veliz Riera was allowed to enter the United States through the border between Mexico and El Paso, Texas, in February 2023. He had a scheduled appointment via the now inactive Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Single Request system.
It was established that Luis Veliz-Ruiz did not attend his immigration hearing and remained in El Paso while waiting for his girlfriend to cross illegally from Mexico to the U.S. between April and May 2023. Subsequently, the couple traveled to Chicago, then to New York, eventually settling in Homestead, Florida.
An immigration judge issued an order for Veliz Riera’s removal from the United States in April 2024 after he failed to appear before the court. He was arrested in South Florida by local police.
Criminal Complaint
On February 14, 2025, Christopher Shuman, a Special Agent of Homeland Security Investigations, submitted a sworn statement supporting the criminal charges against Luis Enrique Veliz Riera before the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
The document establishes that there is probable cause to believe that Luis Enrique Veliz Riera violated federal law by possessing a firearm while illegally present in the United States.
The investigation began within the context of a probe into the transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua, during which Veliz Riera was identified and ultimately arrested.
The firearm’s possession was confirmed by the physical discovery of it, testimony from his girlfriend, photographic evidence found on his mobile phone, and Veliz Riera’s own admissions during interrogation. The charges are supported by Title 18 of the United States Code, Section 922(g)(5)(A).
Moreover, it was confirmed that there was a prior removal order against him, supporting the charge of being an illegal alien.
The Arrest
The case against Luis Enrique Veliz Riera is being heard in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
The arrest was made due to Luis Enrique Veliz Riera’s violation of Section 922(g)(5)(A) of Title 18 of the United States Code, which prohibits firearm possession by an alien illegally present in the country.
The detention is a result of an investigation into alleged members of the transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua (TdA) that led authorities to Veliz Riera.
The document indicates that Veliz Riera was initially detained on October 17, 2024, during a traffic stop of a Ford Explorer reported as used by members of Tren de Aragua at the Floridian Hotel in Florida. This was due to “state law violations discovered during the investigation that were not related to the proposed federal charge, as well as an open arrest warrant from another jurisdiction.”
Agents from the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) confirmed that Veliz Riera was a Venezuelan citizen with “no legal status in the United States.” It was also established that his girlfriend, identified by the initials N. D. R. G., is also a Venezuelan who entered the country illegally.
Luis Enrique Veliz Riera’s girlfriend informed the USBP that she had an illegally purchased firearm in New York, which was in the hotel room she shared with the accused. The investigation confirmed the presence of the firearm identified as a Taurus 9mm semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine of thirty rounds.
Moreover, the analysis of the woman’s mobile phone revealed multiple images showing Veliz Riera in possession of the firearm. During the interrogation following his Miranda rights read, Luis Veliz Riera acknowledged that the firearm shown in the pictures and videos was the same one recovered from the hotel.
It was confirmed that Luis Veliz Riera was subject to a Deportation Order issued by an Immigration Judge since April 30, 2024, due to his failure to appear at an immigration court in Nevada. He entered the United States with a temporary stay (parole) that expired on February 26, 2024, after presenting himself at the El Paso, Texas, entry port using the CBP One application.
Veliz Riera admitted to handling the firearm, loading ammunition into the magazine, and taking pictures with it. He also recognized that N. D. R. G. purchased the weapon in Queens, New York. Regarding his immigration process, he acknowledged not attending the immigration hearing in Nevada, not changing the venue for his deportation proceedings, and not updating his address with immigration authorities.
On the same date, February 14, 2025, a motion for sealing was filed by the prosecution regarding Luis Enrique Veliz Riera, which was granted by Judge Marty Fulgueira Elfenbein on the same day.
Other Case Proceedings
On March 3, 2025, the prosecution presented an oral motion to reveal the case the United States filed against Luis Enrique Veliz Riera and for the defendant’s legal representation appointment.
The court issued a preventive detention order against Veliz Riera signed by Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué A. Lett, who also issued an order to reopen the case and addressed the defendant’s initial hearing.
During this hearing, Veliz Riera was informed of his rights and charges, sworn in, assigned a lawyer, and the prosecution requested the opening of the case. Temporary custody was agreed upon by the parties.
The reading of charges is set for March 17, 2025, in the Miami Division before the magistrate judge on duty, who will conduct the preliminary interrogation scheduled at 10:00 a.m. with a Spanish interpreter present.
The judge ordered the prosecution, in accordance with the Due Process Protection Act, to reveal to the defendant all exculpatory evidence, that is, any that favors him or raises doubts about the U.S. case, as mandated by Brady v. Maryland.
The charges against Luis Enrique Veliz Riera were filed on March 13, 2025, in the Southern District Court of Florida.