A violent Venezuelan prison gang even more hardcore than MS-13 has reportedly infiltrated the United States, according to reports.
Originating in Aragua, Venezuela, the Tren de Aragua (TDA) prison gang was sanctioned as a transnational criminal organization by the Treasury Department (USDT) as recently as last month, according to Fox News.
The USDT said in a statement at the time that TDA “is expanding throughout the Western Hemisphere and engaging in diverse criminal activities, such as human smuggling and trafficking, gender-based violence, money laundering, and illicit drug trafficking.”
Biden’s open border policies allow terrorists like Tren de Aragua to destroy our communities.
I’ve been calling for this for MONTHS & every day that passed, more Americans were put at risk. It’s time to make America safe again & shut the border down.https://t.co/iNeGpoknh4
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) July 11, 2024
Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Republican, has described TDA as “MS-13 on steroids.”
“They’re extremely aggressive,” he told Fox News. “It’s not as if they’re a passive group or they want to quietly go about things.”
“They’re coming from Venezuela, one of the most war-torn countries over the last decade. So, they’re battle-hardened in many ways. And they’ve made this trek from there to here. But they are also becoming … more organized and more brazen,” he added.
Gonzales further said that because of the way the gang is organized, they’ve become increasingly difficult to track in the states. Likewise, they’ve become increasingly difficult to deport because the Venezuelan government isn’t accepting them back.
“Only 834 Venezuelans were deported in fiscal 2023, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data, despite more than 335,000 encounters with Venezuelan migrants at the border that year,” Fox News noted.
One recent example of the gang’s violence occurred in late June at a jewelry store in Denver, Colorado, where TDA gang members pistol-whipped two women before robbing the store.
“The brutal robbery caught on video shows several young men posing as clients suddenly turn on the all-female staff and clients,” Denver station KDVR reported.
“The robbers are seen pulling out guns, pushing open an office door, and pistol-whipping two women who fall onto the floor. A young woman can be seen grabbing a baby and running out a back door during the chaos,” according to the station.
When the suspects were later caught, they were found to be TDA members.
(Video Credit: KTSM 9 NEWS)
Meanwhile in New Mexico, the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) recently shared a memo warning that TDA members have been given a “green light” to open fire on the police.
“APD received information from federal partners regarding possible ‘green light’ attacks on law enforcement by the Tren de Aragua (TdA) criminal organization operating out of Denver, Colorado,” the memo read. “Credible human sources in Colorado provided information about TdA giving a ‘green light’ to shoot at or attack law enforcement.”
Remember Laken Riley, the 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was killed by a Venezuelan criminal alien, Jose Ibarra, while jogging back in February? Fox News reported that the suspect’s brother, Diego Ibarra, had ties to TDA.
“The Ibarras, along with a third brother, were living in the U.S. illegally after crossing into the country through Texas and eventually making their way to the college town of Athens, Georgia,” Fox News noted.
Illegal migrant Diego Ibarra, the brother of Jose Ibarra – the illegal who murdered Laken Riley has ties to the violent Venezuela-prison gang Tren de Aragua, according to federal prosecutors.
Before Biden erased the southern border Tren de Aragua had no presence in the US. pic.twitter.com/EIlpfnhYfe
— The Conservative Read (@theconread) March 7, 2024
“Lots of people are fleeing economic persecution, and they’re looking for an opportunity,” Gonzales said. “But embedded in those people are lots of [criminals] who want to cause you harm. And don’t think for a second that that harm won’t happen to you because of wherever you live, or because you’ve never even met someone from Venezuela before. Doesn’t matter.”
True.
To its credit, the Biden administration is at least keenly aware of the gang.
“HSI is aware of recent violent crime and arrests involving individuals allegedly associated with the Tren de Aragua gang and continues to assess emerging trends and assist partner law enforcement agencies,” an ICE spokesperson told Fox News.
The FBI meanwhile has warned that TDA may try to team up with MS-13.
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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