MIAMI – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) identified more than 600 immigrants in the United States who could have ties to the Venezuelan gang “Tren de Aragua.”
According to data obtained by NBC News, of this group, approximately 100 individuals have been identified as confirmed members of the gang, and DHS recommended their inclusion on an FBI watch list.
The powerful Venezuelan criminal gang has a presence in 15 states and is suspected of operating in another eight. Authorities began to collect information about this criminal organization, after an increase in related crimes in cities like New York.
Since October 2022, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service arrested more than 100 people allegedly connected to the “Aragua Train” in relation to various crimes. Of these arrests, 75 have been made for violations of immigration laws, and more than 20 have been referred to federal judicial processes, reported the information portal 800noticias.
DHS is conducting an ongoing operation to address the gang’s activity, through background checks on previously identified individuals and extensive scrutiny at the border.
A DHS spokesperson indicated that “all persons confirmed or suspected to be gang members are referred for criminal proceedings or detained for expedited removal.”
The Train originated in an infamous prison
The gang originated more than a decade ago in a lawless prison with criminals in the central state of Aragua. However, it has expanded in recent years as more than 8 million desperate Venezuelans have fled economic turmoil under Nicolás Maduro’s regime and emigrated to other parts of Latin America or the United States.
One of the founders is Héctor Guerrero, who was imprisoned years ago for killing a police officer, according to InSight Crimea group of experts that monitors organized crime in the American continent. Guerrero, nicknamed “El Niño,” escaped and was later recaptured in 2013. He escaped from prison again more recently, as Venezuela’s regime attempted to reassert control over its prison population, and is believed to reside in Colombia.
“Fight the gang in the US”
Eleven Republicans led by Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, wrote a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland recently, calling for a coordinated strategy from the Biden administration to combat the gang.
“The administration’s weak enforcement of immigration laws allows gangs, like the Tren de Aragua, to control routes and exploit migrants,” the statement highlighted.
