What we know about the American presence of Tren de Aragua

Tren de Aragua’s alleged expansion into the United States has received national media attention and attention from the country’s most prominent politicians, raising questions about the extent of the group’s presence and activities.

The criminal group took advantage of the large-scale migration of Venezuelans across South America to evolve from a prison gang to a transnational criminal empire, establishing its presence abroad from around 2018, especially in Colombia, Peru and Chile.

SEE ALSO: Three phases in the construction of Tren de Aragua’s transnational empire

In the run-up to the US presidential elections in November, issues of migration and crime have pushed Tren de Aragua to the forefront of political discussion, making it opportune for both Democrats and Republicans to take a tough stance against the organization.

The U.S. Treasury Department approved Venezuela’s top criminal export as a transnational criminal organization in July, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently designated it a terrorist organization.

US authorities have identified suspected Tren de Aragua members across the country in recent months and made a number of arrests.

But the gang’s reputation appears to have grown faster than its actual presence in the United States.

InSight Crime has been following the group for years. Here’s what we know.

Who are they?

The lack of key identifying characteristics among Tren de Aragua’s members makes it difficult to know when a criminal is actually part of the organization.

Certain US law enforcement authorities have issued warnings about Tren de Aragua-related tattoos, such as guns or Michael Jordan logos, and have even arrested suspects based on their tattoos. Although a Chilean regional prosecutor found that multiple members of a Tren de Aragua-affiliated cell there bore the same tattoo, members do not consistently identify themselves using specific tattoos or adopt tattoos as part of an initiation process.

The lack of information sharing between U.S. and Venezuelan authorities means that law enforcement officials cannot easily discover whether an individual is a former prisoner or suspected Tren de Aragua member, nor will such information be flagged for individuals crossing the border with the cross country.

“As a federal agent, we have no other way to vet these people than through the honor system,” Chris Cabrera, vice president of the U.S. Border Patrol Council, told reporters at a news conference in September. “If they tell us their names, we cannot check Venezuela’s database.”

Furthermore, the infamy that Tren de Aragua has developed has led to imposters adopting its name as a method of instilling fear and ensuring compliance from their victims, hampering efforts to determine whether a suspect is a real member or not, become even more complicated.

Where are they?

Although authorities’ methods of identifying Tren de Aragua members or their ties to the broader organization remain unclear, reports of alleged Tren de Aragua activities have emerged in at least ten U.S. states. Cases in Colorado, Texas and New York have received prominent attention, along with others in Illinois, Florida, Louisiana, Indiana, Georgia, Virginia and New Jersey.

Police in Aurora, Colorado, have identified several individual officials referred to as “documented Tren de Aragua members” but have not explained the specific documentation linking them to the gang.

Texas Governor Abbott stated that many of the more than two dozen individuals arrested at an El Paso hotel in early September were suspected Tren de Aragua members, and that officials arrested more than a hundred suspected members during a disturbance at the border with El Paso in March.

He did not clarify how officials identified the suspected members. Officials in both Texas and Colorado have also created special task forces to tackle the gang.

What are they doing?

Some crimes committed by alleged members in the United States are consistent with Tren de Aragua’s most common crimes. The group is best known for human trafficking and smuggling, which it adopted during its expansion in South America.

SEE ALSO: Is Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua behind the rise in kidnappings in Chile?

Other cases in the US involve minor crimes such as burglary or theft, which are not as closely linked to the organization’s international cells. And there have been few reported cases of extortion, a central pillar of the group’s criminal portfolio.

Furthermore, there is no evidence to date that cells in the United States are working with each other or with other criminal groups. Authorities have also not revealed any evidence that criminals received specific instructions from the organization’s leadership or sent money to Venezuela or other foreign countries.

Featured Image: Texas Governor Greg Abbott gives a press conference on Tren de Aragua Credit: @GregAbbott_TX /