Greg Abbott Calls Venezuelan Gang Biggest Threat to Texas

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered state police to target a violent Venezuelan criminal syndicate that has gained attention during the divisive presidential election.

Tren de Aragua began as a South American prison gang but has grown into an international organization that dominates human trafficking and has expanded into Texas in recent months, Abbott said Monday.

Abbott called Tren de Aragua, one of the most dangerous and organized gangs operating in Texas, a category one threat and ordered law enforcement to disrupt the gang’s activities in the state.

“They are the worst,” Abbott said at a news conference in Houston with Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw and Texas Border Czar Mike Banks.

Other gangs previously given Tier 1 status include the Texas Syndicate and the Mexican Mafia, two notorious prison gangs, and the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, the Crips, the Bloods and the Latin Kings.

The designation makes gangs a law enforcement priority and directs DPS to conduct targeted enforcement operations and coordinate efforts with local authorities. Members of Tier 1 gangs may face more severe penalties for crimes, including stiffer sentences.

Abbott said he considered the gang a foreign terrorist organization and that a database and strike unit would keep track of its members.

Abbott has made combating illegal immigration a priority during his time in office, speaking on the topic at the Republican National Convention and investing billions of taxpayer dollars in Operation Lone Star border security efforts.

The proclamation came days after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, speaking at a rally in Las Vegas on Friday, said that if elected he would set up a federal task force to “crush” the Venezuelan prison gang. He also vowed to “liberate Aurora,” referring to conservative media reports that the gang had taken over an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado. City officials have called the reports exaggerated.

During his Sept. 10 debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump referred to Aurora as a city taken over by immigrants. Two city officials, who initially spread the story after a landlord complained about criminal activity at an apartment complex, said there was no evidence that Tren de Aragua controlled anything in the Denver suburb.

U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, a Democrat who represents Aurora, said on X: “These allegations have fueled a narrative that makes it harder for law enforcement to do their jobs and has fueled dangerous rhetoric against our immigrant community.”

Abbott, who was asked about Tren de Aragua during Monday’s press conference, said the announcement had nothing to do with politics or the presidential campaign.

“I pointed out a couple of months ago that we were beginning to make arrests of TDA (Tren de Aragua) or suspected TDA members in the state of Texas,” Abbott said. “With the increased flow, we needed to not only increase our efforts, but increase the repression by doing things like declaring them a foreign terrorist organization and using enhanced tools.”

According to Abbott, it should not be automatically assumed that Venezuelan immigrants are gang members.

McCraw said the Venezuelan government will not share its database of known gang members, making it necessary for law enforcement to identify them through other means.

The gang is believed to have several thousand members in Venezuela and other countries. Abbott did not estimate how many are believed to be active in Texas.

An El Paso hotel has been temporarily closed after local authorities filed a lawsuit claiming it was a public nuisance. Undocumented immigrants and gang members were arrested earlier this summer, including an unknown number of suspected Venezuelan gang members, on charges including assault, drug trafficking and prostitution, Abbott said.

To be classified as a Tier 1 gang in Texas, an organization must be violent, far-reaching, and have a structured hierarchy.

“The gangsters of Tren De Aragua are like cockroaches,” McCraw said Monday. “They multiply rapidly. Small break-ins in communities will become plagues if we do not aggressively deal with these Venezuelan thugs.”