A member of Venezuela’s notorious Tren de Aragua gang was released by a Chicago judge despite a request from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain him — just a month before he was charged in a violent jewelry store heist in Dever, The Post can reveal.
Jean Torres-Roman was arrested this month in the shocking caught-on-camera robbery from June 25, in which two female staffers at a Denver jewelry store were pistol-whipped and threatened with death. Authorities have since identified the 21-year-old as a member of the Venezuelan prison gang.
But just a month earlier, Torres-Roman was arrested over 1,000 miles away in Chicago and charged with unlawful use of a weapon after he was caught trying to stash a stolen gun, according to CWB Chicago.
Cops busted him on May 5 after a gas station security guard reported hearing gunshots and spotted Torres-Roman running from the gunfire while holding a gun.
Security footage showed three men walking away from a parked car before Torres-Roman could be seen running back to the vehicle holding his waist, CWB Chicago reported.
He could be seen pacing before placing the gun under the passenger seat of the car. He also dumped a box of 43 rounds of ammunition under a nearby garbage can, according to a police report.
After the arrest, ICE lodged a detainer, informing local law enforcement that it planned to take him into custody. Torres-Roman crossed the border in El Paso, Texas, illegally in September 2023, according to Homeland Security sources.
However, Cook County Judge David Kelly ordered his release, flouting ICE’s wishes. Chicago is a sanctuary city, meaning local law enforcement doesn’t have to cooperate with ICE detainers.
Torres-Roman then failed to show up in court for a scheduled hearing on May 13, according to CWB Chicago.
After being cut loose, the gangbanger fled to Denver, where he and seven others carried out the brutal jewelry store robbery.
Following the heist, Torres-Roman fled to Las Cruces, New Mexico, where he was caught by federal authorities, who kicked him back to the Denver County Sheriff’s Office this month.
Torres-Roman’s alleged accomplices in the latest robbery remain at large, according to Border Report.
A former ICE field office director for Denver, John Fabbricatore, told The Post that the illegal migrant’s multi-state crime spree can be blamed on progressive sanctuary laws.
“Sanctuary policies do not protect United States citizens, legal residents, or even the undocumented migrants who often fall prey to these gangs. Instead, they protect criminal elements by allowing them to hide in the shadows of failed policies,” Fabbricatore said.
Meanwhile, federal and local law enforcement sources across the country — including in Chicago and Denver — received an alert this month warning them of Tren de Aragua giving its members a “green light” to attack and shoot cops.
Tren de Aragua, whose name translates to “The Aragua Train,” referencing the Aragua region of Venezuela, has started to gain a foothold in the US amid the border crisis.
Border agents only started following the group last year, recording 70 apprehensions of its members at the border, according to federal data.
However, many are getting through the border vetting procedures by refraining from getting any of the gang’s signature tattoos, sources told The Post.
“We have zero access to other nations’ criminal databases and with this administration’s uselessness in deterring these criminals, they will keep entering undetected,” the source moaned.
There have been more than 100 federal criminal investigations opened into the gang, NBC News reported.
The Biden administration has also designated Tren de Aragua as a transnational criminal organization and is offering a $12 million reward for the arrests of its leaders.
In New York City, the gang’s activities have been tied to multiple crimes.
Venezuelan migrant Bernardo Raul Castro Mata, 19, allegedly shot two NYPD cops on June 3 and later told cops he was recruited by the gang’s Big Apple “coordinator” to join its “snatch and grab” moped crew.
Castro Mata also disclosed that the gang had been smuggling guns into New York City migrant shelters in food delivery bags.
Torres-Roman is being held on a $1 million bond and has a hearing date on Aug. 21.
He is facing charges including attempted first-degree murder, attempted aggravated robbery and menacing in the Denver jewelry store heist.
He also has a US Marshals’ hold on his case.
