Four Tren de Aragua Members Infiltrate Migrant Group to Cross Texas Border, Arrested

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) arrested four "confirmed" members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang trying to illegally cross the southern border on New Year's Eve, announced Governor Greg Abbott.

The gang members were part of a group of 22 migrants from Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally along Val Verde County, located in southwest Texas. DPS troopers patrolling the area encountered the group and arrested 11 individuals for criminal trespass, with family groups referred to Border Patrol for processing.

Among those arrested, nine Venezuelan nationals heading to different Texas cities, including San Antonio and Irving. The individuals were interrogated by DPS Special Agents. Four of them were flagged as suspected TdA gang members due to their responses and tattoos.

According to Abbott, DPS agents were able to verify their affiliation to TdA via social media apps during consented cell phone searches. The "confirmed" TdA gang members were identified as Segundo Ocando-Mejia, 39; Pedro Luis Salazar-Cuervo, 27; Antonio Joe Urruttia-Rojas, 18; and Levi Jesus Urrutia-Blanco, 18. Ocando-Mejia is believed to hold a leadership rank within TdA, per the DPS Special Agents.

"Until President Trump is back in the White House to secure our border, Texas will continue to hunt down dangerous criminals like TdA and put them behind bars to protect Texans from this vicious gang," Abbott said in a written statement responding to the arrests.

In September 2024, Governor Abbott designated TdA as a foreign terrorist organization. The Republican leader also launched a statewide operation targeting TdA operations in Texas and an ongoing reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of suspected TdA gang members. TdA has also become a target of president-elect Donald Trump's upcoming immigration policies.

According to a recent investigation by Telemundo, migrants trying to reach the U.S.-Mexico border have become the gang's latest target, as members of the group are infiltrating groups of migrants in order to extract information about them and their families to later extort them.