An Owl Tattoo Linked to 'Tren de Aragua' Gang Drives Investigation of Mexican Immigration Agent Murder

The murder of Luis Alberto Olivas, a Mexican immigration agent, has prompted local authorities to explore potential connections to the notorious "Tren de Aragua" gang, a Venezuelan criminal network which has already been declared a foreign terrorist organization by Texas and has become a target of president-elect Donald Trump's upcoming immigration policies.

Olivas, a veteran agent with 30 years of service, was killed on December 30, 2024, during a routine document check at a migration control point near Precos-Samalayuca, Chihuahua. His body was discovered with severe head injuries and signs of violence, triggering a search operation by local and federal security forces which eventually led to the apprehension of a Colombian national and two Venezuelans.

The investigation gained traction after an owl tattoo was discovered on one of the Venezuelan nationals, as it is reportedly a symbol associated with the group, according to Infobae. Investigative journalist Luis Chaparro also claimed the tattoo signifies the men's role as "guides" in human smuggling operations.

"Tren de Aragua" is considered a transnational criminal group in the U.S. It originated in a Venezuelan prison and has since expanded to countries across Latin America. In Mexico, the group is known to avoid direct confrontations with major drug cartels, instead forming strategic alliances for drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and human exploitation.

Chihuahua's State Security Secretary Gilberto Loya Chávez told Infobae that the organization has established ties with regional criminal networks, using these alliances to traffic people and engage in other illicit enterprises:

"They operate more in the center of the country, but we may start to see them in the north [...] we do not rule out the possibility that they could begin establishing links here, just as they already have operations with people from Peru, people from Colombia, and in the state of Chihuahua, we have identified them as working with a gang that primarily operates in Ciudad Juárez"

Authorities are evaluating whether the killing was part of a coordinated trafficking operation or an isolated incident involving undocumented migrants. The incident highlights the growing reach of transnational criminal networks exploiting migration routes in northern Mexico.