Abbott, Johnson argue Venezuelan gang highlights ‘major problems’ with Biden-Harris border policy

Abbott, who has made combating illegal immigration a key focus of his platform, explained that unlike the Mexican cartels, the Tren de Aragua gang will enter countries and attempt to set up bases there “to carry out a bloodbath with their criminal behavior.” The Texas governor added that it is very easy for the Tren de Aragua gang to enter the U.S. due to the Biden administration’s lack of leadership on illegal immigration, and the fact that they do not have a diplomatic relationship with Venezuela.

“There are bases in New York and other states across the country, and now even in the state of Texas,” Abbott said on the Fox News program. Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo“My number one goal is to make sure that we protect our fellow Texans, and that’s why I’ve declared this organization a foreign terrorist organization, organized our anti-gang units throughout the state of Texas, so that law enforcement at the federal, state and local levels prioritizes this group, and we identify them, we seek them out, we arrest them and put them in jail so that TDA can continue their operations elsewhere.”

Abbott also provided a preview of what the country’s border crisis would look like with Vice President Kamala Harris in the Oval Office. She argued that she supports eliminating illegal immigration as a crime and making President Joe Biden’s criticized border policies “look good.” Harris has sought to improve her record at the border since becoming the Democratic Party’s nominee for president in the 2024 election.

Johnson also joined Sunday morning futures to describe the lasting impact of the Biden administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, arguing that gangs could pose “the longest-lasting threat.” He detailed how gangs in Central America are using extortion against law enforcement to make it harder to eradicate the gangs.

“Again, these are the types of crimes; they’re going to be entrenched in communities, they’re going to intimidate law enforcement, they’re going to intimidate individuals, and they’re going to be very difficult to eradicate,” Johnson said. “So again, we’re in serious trouble because of the Biden-Harris open border policy, and again, these crimes are going to happen over the next few years. We’re just starting to see the tip of the iceberg.”

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In July, the Biden administration designated Tren de Aragua a transnational criminal organization, following calls from Republicans alleging that members of the group had infiltrated the southern border. Since Biden took office in January 2021, nearly 700,000 Venezuelan citizens have been found at the southern border.

Among those who voiced concerns about the Tren de Aragua is Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), whose district runs along 40 percent of the border. Gonzales argued that the Venezuelan gang makes the Salvadoran gang MS-13 “look like Boy Scouts.”