The 'Tren de Aragua' gang, which was born over a decade ago in a Venezuelan prison, has become a major issue this electoral season, especially as authorities have recently expressed concern that the group could take root within the U.S. with increased immigration from the South American country.
Nowhere in the country has the gang's impact been addressed with more than in Texas, were governor Greg Abbott recently declared "Tren de Aragua" a "foreign terrorist group", a decision that allows his administration to allocate additional resources to deal with the group. Amid the crackdown, Abbott also announced rewards for information that can lead to the identification and arrest of suspected members of the organization.
In this context, two Venezuelan nationalists linked to the gang were arrested in San Antonio by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents, in cooperation with the San Antonio Police Department and Texas Department of Public Safety, as Hoodline reports. The suspects were transferred to ICE custody following their arrest due to potential immigration violations and illegal firearms trafficking.
More information on the arrests, including the men's identities, was not immediately available.
Authorities also shared a map of suspected and document activity by the gang: suspected activity has been reported in New Braunfels, near Houston, Dallas and in far West Texas near El Paso. Documented activity has been reported in the same area in far West Texas, near the Texas-Mexico border at Piedras Negras, in far South Texas, Houston and around North Texas near Cleburne and Dallas.
Tren de Aragua has expanded its operations across several countries, including several states in the U.S. The organization is believed to be involved in a wide range of criminal activities, including human trafficking, theft, and possession of fraudulent documents.
"Tren de Aragua has spread terror and carnage in every country they've been in, and Texas will not allow them to gain a foothold in our state," said Governor Abbott when announcing the aforementioned $5,000 reward. "Texas will not let these thugs use our state as a base of operations to terrorize our citizens. With the public's help, combined with the hard work of federal, state, and local law enforcement, we will capture these dangerous gang members and put them behind bars for good."
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