Governor Greg Abbott Announces Plan to Stop Venezuelan Gang

At a news conference in Houston on Monday, Abbott officially signed a proclamation designating Tren de Aragua (TdA) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The transnational criminal gang originated in a Venezuelan prison but has slowly made its way to the United States in recent years.

Abbott said Tren de Aragua is a dangerous and deadly problem not only in Texas but across the nation. The governor designated the organization a Tier 1 threat.

But Abbott said Monday that he plans to defend the state against any imminent danger.

“Our primary focus is the safety and security of all Texans,” Abbott said. “… Our goal is to defend Texas from the growing gang threat.”

Abbott’s plan includes directing the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to create a strike team to address all TdA threats in Texas. The governor said the team will include hundreds of personnel, including highway patrol officers, special agents and Texas Rangers to scout areas known to have TdA activity.

“Tren de Aragua gangsters are like cockroaches,” said DPS Director McCraw. “They multiply rapidly; small break-ins in communities become plagues if not aggressively addressed. These Venezuelan thugs are very combative, violent and certainly adaptable. They are always involved in situations that start with human smuggling. Then they are involved in extortion, kidnapping, rape, assault and sex trafficking of migrants. Governor Abbott has made it very clear: We will not allow any of these gangsters to gain a foothold in Texas.”

Today I announced that Texas is aggressively pursuing the dangerous Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

I have also designated them as a foreign terrorist organization.

We are a law and order state and we will defend Texas against this threat.

More: https://t.co/4zQk0FPxmb photo.twitter.com/EUrn0z3qlO

— Governor Greg Abbott (@GovAbbott) September 16, 2024

El Paso is a hot spot for TdA activity, Abbott said. The Gateway Hotel recently drew attention and was temporarily closed after the El Paso County District Attorney accused its owners of operating it illegally.

Abbott said residents in and around the El Paso hotel were concerned about criminal activity in the area. A handful of suspected Venezuelan gang members were arrested.

Last year, Governor Abbott signed Senate Bill 1900, which designated transnational drug cartels and criminal groups as foreign terrorist organizations in Texas. Under Senate Bill 4, anyone convicted of smuggling immigrants would face a minimum of 10 years in prison.

The U.S. State Department has also offered rewards of up to $12 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of the gang’s leaders.

“We will not allow them to use Texas as a base to terrorize our citizens,” Abbott said Monday. “They have a target on their backs and we are going after them. Texas is the wrong state to do business in.”