Texas officials target Tren de Aragua gang

Texas officials have declared the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization and launched a statewide operation to target the group. Governor Greg Abbott made the announcement during a news conference at the Texas Department of Public Safety regional headquarters in Houston. Abbott said, “The recent entry and expansion of the vicious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua is a dangerous and deadly problem for our state and nation.

Our primary focus is on the safety and security of all Texans.”

The governor ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to designate Tren de Aragua as a Tier 1 gang and create a strike team to identify and arrest its members.

The target of the Tren de Aragua gang

The strike team will consist of hundreds of personnel, including DPS Highway Patrol officers, Special Agents and Texas Rangers.

DPS Director Steve McCraw compared Tren’s Aragua gangsters to cockroaches, saying, “They multiply rapidly; small break-ins in communities become plagues if not dealt with aggressively. These Venezuelan thugs are highly combative, violent and certainly adaptable.”

Texas Border Commissioner Mike Banks attributed the gang’s presence in the United States to the open border policy. He said, “I want to be very clear: The Tren de Aragua problem in Texas and throughout the United States is a direct result of the open border policy.”

The initiative will allow Texas to use the courts to curb the gang’s criminal activity, use civil asset forfeiture to seize their property, and enhance criminal penalties during prosecutions. DPS will also coordinate operations with federal and local partners through state-funded Texas Anti-Gang Centers.

Last year, Governor Abbott signed legislation that defined transnational drug cartels and criminal organizations in Texas, increased penalties for drug distribution and operating drug dens, and established mandatory minimum prison sentences for human trafficking.