What is Tren de Aragua? What You Need to Know About Gangs Making US Headlines – NBC Chicago

Recent social media posts have raised concerns among many about the presence of a criminal organization from Venezuela, known as Tren de Aragua, in the United States. But what exactly happened and what do we know so far?

The gang has been confirmed in several states in the US, including Illinois, but a situation in Aurora, Colorado, brought the issue into the spotlight.

Telemundo Chicago and NBC Chicago have been reporting on the gang’s presence in the US for months.

Here’s what we know so far:

What is Tren de Aragua?

Tren de Aragua is the largest criminal organization in Venezuela with more than 5,000 members.

This transnational criminal organization has managed to spread its terror throughout South America at lightning speed.

Is Tren de Aragua in Chicago or Illinois?

Members of the violent gang have now reached the United States and are suspected of being involved in criminal cases in five states, including Illinois and Indiana, local law enforcement officials told NBC News.

Authorities confirmed to NBC News that they are investigating more than 100 criminal cases related to suspected members of Tren de Aragua. NBC Chicago confirmed that at least two members have been arrested in Cook County on drug and weapons charges.

In January, intelligence officials with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office confirmed through internal emails obtained by Telemundo Chicago that members of the gang are in Chicago.

A spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations told NBC Chicago in a statement: “HSI Chicago is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to combat emerging threats and trends wherever we find them, including threats and trends involving transnational criminal organizations (TCOs).”

The statement continued: “HSI Chicago is aware of recent arrests for violent crimes involving individuals allegedly associated with the Tren de Aragua gang and continues to monitor emerging trends and assist partner law enforcement agencies. Anyone with information regarding TCO activity can submit an anonymous report by calling the HSI tip line at 877-4-HSI-TIP.”

Chicago police said recent social media posts reporting 911 calls about large groups of armed migrants taking over a residential building and filling the courtyard with motorcycles were unfounded.

“There was a call for service. It was coded and no report was generated,” the department told NBC Chicago. “We are not confirming the status of any individuals.”

What happened in Colorado?

The 911 virus in Chicago was reminiscent of a situation in Colorado, where video footage of people carrying guns in an apartment complex in Aurora was widely circulated, leading to what authorities are calling the spread of misinformation.

Mayors Mike Coffman of Aurora and Mike Johnston of Denver told NBC station 9NEWS in an interview Thursday that the situation had been exaggerated.

Coffman told the station that while some apartment building residents in the city are being intimidated by a Venezuelan gang, Aurora police are addressing the situation and making arrests. Police call the gang activity “isolated.”

While the presence of Tren de Aragua has been confirmed in both cities, Coffman and Johnston said incorrect reports about the extent of the problem have led to unexpected complications.

“It overwhelms our 911 system, or our emergency call center, and so it hurts our ability to respond to crime,” Coffman told the station. “I hope people don’t do that. I think we’re in a kind of hysterical environment right now about this issue. It’s a real issue. It’s being addressed. It’s isolated.”

Still, on August 30, Coffman posted on Facebook that the Aurora City Attorney’s Office was preparing documents requesting an emergency order “to clear apartment buildings where Venezuelan gangs were active.”

That same day, video from the Aurora Police Department showed officers patrolling The Edge at Lowry Apartments. Interim Aurora Police Chief Heather Morris said in the video that officers who had been in the area for “weeks” discovered after talking to residents that “there’s definitely a different picture.”

“I’m not saying there aren’t gang members that don’t live in this community, but what we’re learning here is that gang members have not taken over this complex,” said Morris, who noted that people aren’t paying their rent to gang members, “which doesn’t happen.”

The city of Aurora also published a lengthy message X hours later, stating: “There has been a lot of misleading information shared about what is happening in our city”

“Aurora is a safe community. The media has conflated and greatly exaggerated incidents that are limited to a handful of problem properties in isolation. Yes, we are concerned that there is a small Tren de Aragua (TdA) presence in Aurora and we take it seriously,” the statement said. “We have responded. We have made arrests. We will continue to make arrests. We will continue to address the problems that the absentee, foreign owners of these properties have allowed to fester unchecked. Aurora will aggressively pursue all actions available under city code and criminal law.”

Johnston added that Tren de Aragua’s presence in Denver is smaller than “many other organized criminal networks that may have been operating here for decades,” but he said he is “monitoring the situation closely.”

On August 30, Governor Jared Polis said that Colorado is “a zero-tolerance state for illegal activity,” adding that “building takeovers have no place in Colorado, and I am confident the city of Aurora shares this core value and will enforce the law if it is violated there.”