Texas Governor Greg Abbott is offering a $5,000 bounty for information that leads to the capture of members of the notorious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) that has “spread terror and carnage” across the United States.
The crime syndicate has gained nationwide attention after a viral video showed armed members of the group storming an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado. TdA originated as a prison gang in Aragua, Venezuela, but it rapidly expanded in recent years, according to the U.S. Department of State.
“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,” Governor Abbott said in a statement.
Greg Abbott speaks on stage on the third day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 17, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Delegates, politicians, and the Republican faithful are in Milwaukee for the annual convention, concluding with former President Donald Trump accepting his party’s presidential nomination. The RNC takes place from July 15-18.
Alex Wong/Getty
“Today, I am announcing a reward for any information that leads to the identification and arrest of known or suspected members of this gang who have been or are involved in heinous crimes. Texas will not let these thugs use our state as a base of operations to terrorize our citizens.
“I encourage anyone with information on Tren de Aragua to call the Texas Crime Stoppers hotline or submit an anonymous tip online. 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.”
On September 16, Abbott signed a proclamation designating the gang as a foreign terrorist organization.
He also ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to deploy a strike team with state troopers, Texas Rangers, and other law enforcement groups to hunt the gang in Texas.
“The recent entry and expansion of the vicious Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, is a dangerous and deadly problem facing our state and nation,” Abbott said after signing the proclamation.
Video evidence presented in court shows individuals partying in hotel hallways, using weapons, and engaging in violence in front of children.
El Paso County
Declaring the gang a foreign terrorist organization allows for harsher penalties, such as increased sentences for gang members involved in crimes like drug trafficking.
Under state law, civil penalties can also be imposed on foreign terrorist organizations.
Border agents arrested a suspected TdA gang member in El Paso, Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens announced on Monday.
‘USBP agents in El Paso, TX, arrested a confirmed member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. USBP agents have apprehended 70 members of this gang,’ Owens said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
A spokesperson for Florida Senator Marco Rubio told Newsweek: “Since March of this year, Marco urged the Biden-Harris administration to sanction these (Tren De Aragua) mercenaries as a Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO). The administration opted to sanction TdA in July.
Senator Rubio and other GOP lawmakers sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, asking the DoJ to investigate the crime syndicate to ensure the protection of U.S. citizens.
“We are extremely concerned with recent reports that U.S.-designated transnational criminal organization (TCO), Tren de Aragua, is expanding its presence within the United States,” the letter said.
Republican lawmaker Rep. Tony Gonzales previously told Newsweek: “These Venezuelan gangs are pure evil, and they will rot any society, any community that they associate themselves with.”
The group is known for committing serious crimes such as human trafficking, extortion, and drug trafficking, as well as kidnapping and murder.
Meanwhile, in Colorado, the Aurora Police Department identified what they say are 10 members of the notorious Venezuelan gang threatening residents of that city.
The gang has been known to the Aurora Police Department for at least several months.
In July, a man was arrested in connection with a shooting in Aurora. He was a known member of TdA, according to the Aurora Police Department.
Aurora PD said that TdA members had been “committing acts of violence against members of the migrant community” in the town.
It comes after the owner of a Texas hotel in El Paso faces legal action due to alleged violent criminal activity involving suspected members of the gang.
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