GOP Governor Takes Aggressive Action Against Bloodthirsty Venezuelan Street Gang: ‘Growing Threat’

Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Monday announced new measures the Lonestar State is taking against Tren de Aragua, a violent Venezuelan gang that has been wreaking havoc in several states across the United States.

Abbott announced that he is declaring the gang a foreign terrorist organization and is setting up a database to verify whether or not arrests made are members of the TdA.

“We will bring the full weight of the government to bear against the TdA,” Abbott said. “By declaring the TdA a foreign terrorist organization, Texas will use the courts to shut down their activities, use civil asset forfeiture to seize their property, and use harsher criminal penalties to keep them behind bars for longer.”

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

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

Border officials recently told Fox that they are targeting the gang as a priority, and officials in Dallas told Fox that they have seen gang activity in northern Dallas that is linked to TdA. The gang has been in the news amid reports of a takeover of apartment buildings in Aurora, Colorado.

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Texas Governor Greg Abbott addresses the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, on September 5, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Fox News Digital reported in July that TdA members had been given a “green light” to shoot at or attack police in Denver. The Biden administration in July designated the group a “major transnational criminal organization” and offered up to $12 million for information leading to the arrest of three of its leaders.

Abbott said the database being compiled will look at common characteristics of gang members, including tattoos, scars, types of crime and modus operandi.

Abbott had already launched a statewide operation to deter and disrupt the gang, saying there were now nine anti-gang centers in the state, with more than $100 million in funding. A hotel in El Paso where TdA operated was recently closed.

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He also noted that more than 100 gang members were arrested during a riot at the U.S.-Mexico border near El Paso earlier this year. On Tuesday, he said strike teams were being formed to deliver resources to areas where gang members are believed to be operating.

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“Our goal as law enforcement in the state of Texas is to defend our state from the growing threat of TdA,” he said. “We are not going to allow them to use Texas as a base to terrorize our citizens. Texas is a law and order state, and I will make sure that law enforcement has all the tools they need to keep our community safe.”