Border officials reveal which foreign gang they are making their top ‘priority’ amid multi-state crimes

Senior border officials are making a priority target of a Venezuelan street gang after a surge in gang activity in states including Texas and Colorado, with members linked to a range of crimes across the country.

Officials tell Fox News not only that Tren de Aragua are a growing threat, but that they are “dealing with them as a priority.” This comes after several warnings about the bloodthirsty gang’s presence in the U.S.

Fox News Digital reported in July that officials warned that TdA had been given a “green light” to shoot at or otherwise attack law enforcement in Denver, Colorado. Border Patrol officials have previously warned that the gang poses a threat to communities.

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Suspected members of the Tren de Aragua gang have taken over an apartment building in Aurora, Colorado, and are demanding rent in exchange for protection. (Edward Romero)

Fox previously reported that CBP had distributed intelligence bulletins to agents revealing tattoos and identifying information of the gang. TdA is said to specialize in extortion, kidnapping, murder and sex trafficking. Federal authorities have warned that the gang is trying to establish itself in the U.S., where law enforcement has already linked it to organized crime. The FBI has also warned that the gang could be working with MS-13.

The gang recently made headlines when footage went viral of gang members carrying guns and entering apartments at a Denver apartment complex. This week, four more people were arrested in Aurora in connection with a shooting at an apartment complex in July.

In Texas, Dallas police tell Fox News that gang activity linked to TdA has been observed in northern Dallas.

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“Our department works with other agencies to investigate potential crimes related to this and other gangs in our city. We are committed to preventing criminal activity in our community and ensuring the safety of our residents,” Dallas PD Officer Michael Dennis told Fox.

The gang has also been linked to the shooting of two NYPD officers in June, and drew additional attention when it emerged that the brother of the suspect in the killing of a Georgia college student Laken Riley had ties to the gang.

The gang’s rise is tied to the three-year crisis at the southern border, which has seen large numbers of Venezuelans flood across the U.S. border and be released into the country. While the number of encounters at the border has dropped sharply in recent months, the effects of the crisis are still being felt and will likely be a major issue for voters in November.

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Recently, the Ministry of Finance designated Tren de Aragua as a major transnational criminal organization and offered financial rewards for the conviction of three of its leaders.

“Tren de Aragua uses its transnational networks to traffic people, especially migrant women and girls, across borders for sex trafficking and debt bondage,” the Treasury Department said in a statement at the time. “Members of Tren de Aragua often kill them and publicize their deaths as a threat to others.”

In April, FBI Director Christopher Wray admitted that the agency was monitoring the gang.

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“We certainly keep an eye on that particular gang, TdA, as we call it. We have Safe Streets violence gang task forces in all of our 56 field offices, which specifically target gangs and other similar violent criminal enterprises,” he told lawmakers.

Fox News’ Michael Lee and Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.