By Trendsetter Tribune 
MAGA-aligned Brazilian influencer Júnior Pena, known for defending ICE raids and calling detained migrants “crooks,” has been arrested in New Jersey amid rising tensions over Trump’s immigration crackdown.
A Brazilian social media influencer who repeatedly praised ICE crackdowns and insisted they only targeted “crooks” has been arrested by immigration agents in New Jersey, drawing widespread attention and irony from critics online.
The influencer, Eustáquio da Silva Pena Júnior — widely known as Júnior Pena — was taken into custody on Saturday. Pena has built a large following across TikTok and Instagram by presenting what he calls “the reality of the United States” from the perspective of a migrant, while also publicly voicing support for President Donald Trump.
In a previous video, Pena declared: “I support Donald Trump — I like the guy,” urging migrants not to be afraid of ICE enforcement actions. He accused other influencers of “spreading fear among immigrants without facts,” and dismissed concerns about deportations before adding, “But they’re all crooks. The lot of them.”
According to reports, Pena immigrated to the U.S. in 2009. Since his arrest, he has been held at Delaney Hall Detention Center in Newark, New Jersey, while his attorney, Andrew Lattarulo, works to prevent ICE from transferring him to another state.
Pena’s detainment comes as deportations of Brazilians surge. Brazil’s Federal Police reported that 2,268 Brazilians were deported from the U.S. in 2025, the highest level since tracking began in 2020.
The arrest also lands amid a tense national climate. Trump campaigned on a sweeping immigration crackdown and told Time magazine in 2024 that he aimed to deport 15 to 20 million people, potentially using the National Guard. The latest enforcement wave has sparked outrage following the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, fueling protests and concern that aggressive ICE tactics could dampen Republican support heading into the midterms.
Even some Latino Trump voters say the crackdown has crossed a line. Edgar Hernandez told France 24 that while criminals should be deported, “I don’t agree with deporting people who are here out of necessity and haven’t done anything.”
Pena’s case has become a symbol — for some, an example of enforcement gone too far; for others, a moment of contradiction for a pro-Trump influencer who once told his audience they had nothing to fear.