The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has warned that the Venezuelan street gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) is now operating in 16 states and the District of Columbia, according to a report from the New York Post.
An internal memo sent to DHS officials warned that the Tren de Aragua gang had recently been reported in places such as the nation’s capital, Virginia, Montana, and Wyoming. The memo also noted that in places where the Venezuelan immigrant population is increasing, there is more “potential for violent TdA migrants,” according to the outlet.
“As the population of Venezuelan nationals continues to increase, the potential for violent TdA migrants is highly probable,” the memo said.
Breitbart News’s Christian Caruzo has reported on local law enforcement officials’ reports that TdA has been terrorizing cities such as Atlanta, Georgia; Dallas, Texas; New York City; and Miami, Florida:
Authorities from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office in Chicago, Illinois, reportedly confirmed the presence of Tren de Aragua’s gang members in the city since at least October 2023 — weeks after the “raid” of Tocoron.
In the months following the “raid,” other U.S. cities began reporting criminal acts linked to the gang. U.S. authorities have confirmed the active presence of Tren de Aragua in other cities, such as Miami, New York, Dallas, and Atlanta. According to internal documentation from the Department of Homeland Security, Tren de Aragua has given the “green light” to its members to attack U.S. law enforcement officers.
The Prairie du Chien Police Department in Wisconsin also warned of possible gang crime associated with TdA as a suspected member of the gang was arrested and charged with alleged sexual and physical assault of a woman.
Members of TdA are reportedly engaging in “lower-level fraud and theft schemes,” the DHS memo said, adding that the members send their funds “to South America” in order to finance “additional criminal enterprises.”
The outlet added that in one instance in Virginia, “three suspect members” of TdA with “the gang’s signature tattoos” had been arrested for shoplifting, while:
In one run-in with the cutthroat gang in Virginia, cops in Fairfax County arrested three suspected members in August 2023 for shoplifting.
One of the suspects had a fake Venezuelan ID, and all three bore the gang’s signature tattoos.
President-elect Donald Trump has announced “Operation Aurora,” which is aimed at “expediting the removal of” criminal networks like TdA that are operating in the United States.
“In honor of Jocelyn Nungaray, Laken Riley — beautiful Laken — Rachel Morin, and all of the others that are dead, and/or mortally wounded at the hands of migrants who should never have been allowed into our country, I’m announcing today, that upon taking office, we will have an Operation Aurora at the federal level to expedite the removals of these savage gangs,” Trump said during a rally in Colorado in October. “And, I will invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.”
In September, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced that he was offering a $5,000 reward for any information that led to the arrest of TdA gang members.