‘Major Threat’: NYPD Targets Bloodthirsty Venezuelan Gang, Sets Up Base in Sanctuary

The New York Police Department (NYPD) says it is targeting the bloodthirsty Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA), which has set up operations in the Big Apple amid a surge in migration to the sanctuary city and is now establishing a presence across the US.

The TdA is a violent street gang believed to have originated in Venezuelan prisons and moved north over the past decade. However, its reputation in the U.S. has grown this year, in part due to a number of high-profile crimes linked to the gang. Many of them are believed to have come through the southern border as part of a surge in migration in recent years.

According to New York Police Chief John Chell, TdA is now actively recruiting gang members at migrant shelters, where weapons and drugs have been smuggled in food cartons.

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“Do we believe there are gang-related weapons in the shelters? Absolutely. Do we believe they were smuggled in? Absolutely,” he told Fox News.

These images from a CBP intelligence bulletin show Tren De Aragua’s tattoos and identification information. (ICE)

The NYPD says there are hundreds of gang members in the city and they are not afraid to shoot at police. Earlier this year, a suspected gang member shot and wounded two police officers, while another shot an officer during a shoplifting incident.

“They are a major threat to the city. We are not new to gangs or crews in the city. So this is our newest crew. And what is alarming about this crew is that their conspiracy to commit crimes touches many areas, from shoplifting to extortion to robbery to human trafficking, and worst of all, they shot two of our officers,” he said.

New York City is also a sanctuary city, which limits the police department’s ability to cooperate with federal law enforcement. The city is one of several sanctuary cities where Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has taken migrants in response to the 2022 border surge, prompting a war of words between Abbott and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

The gang has a presence in Aurora, Colorado, where there have been a number of arrests and reports that the gang has taken over entire apartment buildings — something local authorities have resisted. Fox News Digital reported in July that TdA members had been given a “green light” to shoot or attack law enforcement in Denver.

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The head of the US Border Patrol recently said they have arrested dozens of gang members trying to enter the US through the southern border.

A customs and border protection (CBP) bulletin in March warned agents of tattoos and other gang identification. Federal authorities had previously warned that the gang was attempting to establish itself in the U.S. and could potentially collaborate with the violent MS-13 gang.

The Biden administration announced significant measures against the gang in July, when the Treasury Department designated TdA a “major transnational criminal organization.” The move blocks all of the gang’s property and assets from operating in the U.S.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE ON THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

Meanwhile, the State Department offered up to $12 million for information leading to the arrest of three of the gang’s leaders. The government also stressed that it is working to disrupt the gang and has stepped up screening.

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But it also plays into ongoing concerns about immigration, a key issue in the election, with both presidential candidates claiming they are the right people to secure the border.