Warrant issued for migrant TdA gang member suspected of murder, sexual assault

An arrest warrant has been issued for a suspected Tren de Aragua migrant gang member who was released from custody in Chicago last week despite police believing they had probable cause to keep him detained in connection to a murder. Pedro Colmenares, a 33-year-old Venezuelan illegal migrant with a prior weapons charge, is suspected of being involved in the shooting death of a 25-year-old Hispanic man last September. He is also suspected of kidnapping and sexually assaulting his former girlfriend.

Chicago police had probable cause to detain Colmenares for the murder, but the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office declined to press homicide charges, citing insufficient evidence and uncooperative witnesses. Despite Homeland Security’s attempts to apprehend him on an ICE detainer for the weapons charges offense in October, Cook County’s sanctuary policy prevented his detention, and he was released.

Colmenares, who entered the U.S. illegally in September 2022, was ordered deported by an immigration judge in November of that year. While appealing the deportation ruling, he ended up in Chicago, where he was roaming freely. However, an arrest warrant has now been issued for Colmenares for the kidnapping and sexual assault of his former girlfriend last October in Chicago.

The warrant states that Colmenares is wanted for aggravated kidnapping and aggravated criminal sexual assault with a firearm. Police allege that he forced his former girlfriend into a car, threatened her with a firearm, and sexually assaulted her over several days at a location on Chicago’s West Side. Colmenares has been ordered to appear before a judge on March 5 in Chicago and has been instructed to surrender weapons and stay away from the victim, but he has not been assigned electronic monitoring.

Colmenares’ case highlights the challenges faced by law enforcement agencies in jurisdictions with sanctuary policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Despite the serious allegations against him, Colmenares was able to avoid deportation and continue to commit crimes in the U.S. The case also underscores the importance of collaboration between local and federal law enforcement agencies in ensuring public safety and holding criminals accountable for their actions.