MS-13 on steroids: Venezuelan prison gang terrorizing US cities, spilling over our southern border

A violent Venezuelan prison gang, Tren de Aragua (TDA), has become increasingly organized and shameless, earning it the new nickname “MS-13 on steroids.”

Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas warned that TDA members are not only aggressive but also battle-hardened, having endured Venezuela’s violent environment. As they settle in the U.S., they become harder to track and even more dangerous. Deportation efforts are complicated by Venezuela’s refusal to accept their return, leaving these criminals free to terrorize American communities.

ICE deported only 834 Venezuelans in fiscal year 2023, despite more than 335,000 encounters with Venezuelan migrants at the border. In October 2023, the Biden administration briefly resumed deportations to Venezuela, but the socialist dictatorship halted them in January after the US reimposed economic sanctions. Gonzales described Venezuela’s strategy as effectively offering these criminals a “one-way ticket to the United States.”

In a brazen display of violence, members of Tren de Aragua (TDA) were linked to a June 24 jewelry heist in Denver, Colorado, where they posed as customers before pulling guns and brutally pistol-whipped two women. This brutal attack in broad daylight sends a chilling message: These criminals are here, and they’re not afraid to wreak havoc in our communities.

Federal authorities are now on high alert, as TDA reportedly ‘greenlights’ attacks on police officers, indicating a new level of danger to both law enforcement and the public.

We urgently need to classify Venezuela as a high risk country and immediately halt all travel from there, especially given our current inability to deport their criminals. It is time to close the door on this escalating threat before more Americans lose their lives!

The growing threat of a Venezuelan criminal network

The transnational Tren de Aragua, a notorious Venezuelan gang, has infiltrated the United States and poses a significant threat. March 7, 2024

Recent court documents link Diego Ibarra, the brother of Laken Riley’s killer, to the Tren de Aragua gang, pointing to the gang’s presence in the US.
The U.S. government is granting temporary parole to Venezuelans despite its inability to screen and identify individuals with criminal records or gang ties.
There is no information exchange between Venezuela and the US government.
Hamas is based in Venezuela and holds official government positions.

Tren de Aragua has become the fastest growing transnational criminal organization in the world. The group originates from the state of Aragua in northern Venezuela and expanded its reach as millions of Venezuelans migrated, initially to other Latin American countries. It appears the gang has followed them.

According to the FBI in El Paso, Tren De Aragua is taking advantage of the opportunity to move unnoticed amid the influx of thousands of Venezuelan migrants by dropping their gang tattoos, thus avoiding having to alert U.S. Border Patrol at our southern border.

Between 2018 and 2023, Tren de Aragua organized a transnational criminal network, with cells in Colombia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil and now also in the United States. Their extensive criminal portfolio includes contract killings, guerrilla warfare, extortion, loan sharking, kidnapping, torture, human trafficking for sexual exploitation, robbery, migrant smuggling, contraband, illegal mining, drug trafficking, cybercrime and theft. Countries such as Chile, Peru and Colombia have carried out substantial operations against the gang since 2022, mainly on their borders.

The FBI has found alarming evidence that an alliance may be forming with the notoriously violent MS-13. The gang’s expansion is attributed to strategic alliances with other organized crime networks, involving non-aggression pacts and in some casespartnerships to share criminal proceeds.

In Georgia, Diego Ibarra, 29, was arrested for possession of a fake green card, which he used to get a job at the University of Georgia, the same institution where his 22-year-old brother, Jose Ibarra, is accused of the gruesome murder of Laken Riley. The arrest and subsequent revelations highlight a disturbing connection between the Ibarra brothers and illegal activities.

In Virginia, Venezuelan Renzo Mendoza Montes, 32, was arrested last week on suspicion of two crimes: he allegedly sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl. She was released five months ago at the gang-favorite El Paso border crossing.

In New York, Let’s not forget the Tren de Aragua gang, which was involved in the brutal attack on NYPD officers in Times Square.

In Texas, FBI Special Agent Britton Boyd, El Paso, highlights Tren de Aragua’s focus on human smuggling and sex trafficking, particularly within Venezuelan migrant communities along the U.S.-Mexico border. This raises concerns about the gang exploiting vulnerable populations, engaging in extortion, and committing violent crimes to establish dominance.

In Texas, Former Border Patrol Agent Ammon Blair, who works in the Rio Grand Valley sector, paints a grim picture of the gang’s modus operandi, which includes extorting migrant businesses.

Venezuelan citizens in the US and abroad are being forced to cover for this gang and are receiving death threats for snitching. In one case, the gang threatened to poison the water supply.

IS THIS WHAT WE HAVE WELCOMED IN THE US?!

An asylum seeker from Bogota, USA stated, “Every time I arrived in my neighborhood, I had to hide everything – my money, my cell phone – because they could kill me for it,” and we are witnessing these tactics on our streets.

The Tren de Aragua gang’s invasion of the US has manifested itself in violent phone thefts in New York City, where members on mopeds ruthlessly confiscate equipment from unsuspecting victims.

As we grapple with the reality of a violent gang gaining a foothold within our borders, the question arises: How will we respond? Ignoring the problem is not an option.