Texas judge gives hotel accused of harboring Tren de Aragua hard deadline to vacate premises

A Texas hotel that's currently under the spotlight for apparently harboring criminal activity by gang members has been given a hard deadline to vacate its premises.

Concretely, District Court Judge Maria Salas Mendoza gave the Gateway Hotel until Thursday at 10 a.m. to comply. The order follows an injunction filed by the El Paso County Attorney General's Office, which alleged the aforementioned criminal activity as well as health violations.

The Gateway hotel, said El Paso County Attorney Christina Sanchez, has operated without a valid certificate of occupancy for the past six years. The filing claims the hotel has been the site of repeated criminal incidents, with police responding to 693 calls over the last two years. It has also failed multiple inspections from the fire department over the past three months.

Police reports cite habitual criminal activity, including drug use, theft, and violent behavior within the hotel. Notably, video footage submitted as part of the evidence shows individuals partying, using weapons, and engaging in violent acts while security personnel are present. Officers also reported the presence of individuals with tattoos linked to the Tren De Aragua gang.

The injunction details five times when law enforcement received formal complaints related to alleged Tren de Aragua members. One of them involves a man who had his backpack stolen by several men who then punched him in the face, showed him a gun and fired a shot in the air, telling the victim he would be killed if he went to the police. Authorities believe the group "hangs out" at the Gateway Hotel.

Christina Sanchez clarified that the gang's presence is not the reason for the injunction. "It's important to clarify that this lawsuit was not prompted by criminal activities attributed
to any specific group or gang. The lawsuits are strategic tools aimed at swiftly and
effectively addressing public safety concerns, enforcing legal standards, and safeguarding the community from persistent or escalating issues," she said in a statement, according to Border Report. "I want to be clear that at no time did we allege in our lawsuit that the hotel was taken over by any gang or group of individuals."

The Venezuelan-born gang has been making the headlines recently as a result of different reports regarding criminal activity in different parts of the U.S. Several of them have come from Colorado, where six alleged members were recently arrested in the city of Aurora.

Last Wednesday, Aurora police spokesman Joe Moylan provided details to The Denver Post about the extent of the Venezuelan gang presence in the city, especially amid claims that an apartment complex had been taken over by Tren de Aragua members.

Moylan said officers have not arrested any gang members on charges related to collecting rent from residents at three Aurora properties owned by CBZ Property Management, according to the Post. The properties have been a major hotspot for crime and point of contention due to the increase of Venezuelan gang members in Aurora.

He did not describe the situation as a takeover, but CBZ reported unlivable conditions at its Aurora properties due to the criminal activity.

"Every day we learn more about TdA, how it operates, and how we can identify suspected members," said Aurora's interim police chief, Heather Morris, adding that "it's still too soon to try to quantify TdA's presence in Aurora one way or the other."