A new Homeland Security Task Force has been formed to target drug cartels on the South Texas border
Homeland Security Investigations
Federal authorities have launched a new regional Homeland Security Task Force in South Texas aimed at combating cartels, foreign terrorist organizations and transnational gangs, officials announced Monday.
The rollout came immediately after the task force's first major operation: the arrest of more than 140 people during a Sunday raid in San Antonio targeting the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations said the task force, established under a January executive order, will coordinate dozens of federal, state and local agencies to pursue organizations involved in violent crime, human trafficking, extortion, drug smuggling and money laundering, according to an FBI statement.
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FBI San Antonio Acting Special Agent in Charge Alex Doran said the task force was created as "a powerful tool in the fight against transnational organized crime," adding that agencies are "dedicated to dismantling the cartels and criminal networks responsible" for these offenses.
Mark Lippa, acting special agent in charge of HSI San Antonio added that the effort will focus on dismantling both drug cartels and designated terrorist groups.
Officials said the task force's early action centered on disrupting a suspected Tren de Aragua presence in San Antonio. The operation, based on a state investigation that produced a search warrant, resulted in more than 140 arrests made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with support from the Texas Department of Public Safety. Those detained were described as unauthorized immigrants from Venezuela, Honduras, Mexico and other South American countries.
The raid occurred around 2 a.m. Sunday near Basse Road and San Pedro Avenue, where witnesses reported helicopters overhead and federal agents detaining individuals, including a couple carrying an infant. According to the FBI, the arrests stemmed from "court-authorized activity," though officials did not provide further details.
Similar high-profile raids targeting Tren de Aragua in recent months have frequently led to detentions and deportations rather than criminal charges. Federal officials said the South Texas task force has already been active since late October and cited additional recent operations, including the seizure of firearms in Laredo and a money-laundering indictment tied to a Mexican cartel.
The task force includes agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, the Coast Guard, the Internal Revenue Service and federal prosecutors in both the Southern and Western Districts of Texas.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott signaled that more actions are likely, writing on Monday that there will be "more of this to come."
Texas Department of Public Safety joined with federal and local officials to raid a TDA sex and human trafficking operation in San Antonio.About 200 illegal immigrants were apprehended.More of this to come. https://t.co/YILlBD9wEF
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 17, 2025
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Tags: Texas, Department of Homeland Security, Immigration, Tren de Aragua, San Antonio
