Authorities say a violent Venezuelan migrant gang known as the Tren de Aragua has taken over a hotel in the Texas border city of El Paso, turning it into a hub for fights, drinking and orgies.
Police have been called to the Gateway Hotel about 700 times, and surveillance footage shows one man brandishing an axe, others carrying knives and at least one man firing a gun inside the hotel, the El Paso County Attorney's Office said.
Much of this activity took place while the children were present.
Local authorities are now working to close the hotel and take back control of a business that has become a stain on the city of 680,000 people.
And it's not just a gateway: El Paso is known as a stopover point for Tren de Aragua members after they enter the U.S. before heading to cities like New York, Chicago and Denver, law enforcement officials told The Post.
Gang members have also taken refuge in another El Paso hotel, a Motel 6, which sources said is “notorious for international crime syndicates harboring and smuggling illegal immigrants and illegal drugs attempting to further infiltrate the United States.”
Two Venezuelan migrants believed to be linked to Tren de Aragua fled to an El Paso motel in June three days after allegedly robbing a jewelry store in Denver.
On Monday, a judge issued a temporary order forcing all hotel guests to leave by Thursday, preventing owner Howard Yun from allowing guests to stay at the hotel. According to KVIA-TV.
According to documents filed by County Attorney Christina Sanchez, surveillance footage from inside the Gateway Hotel showed “partying… drinking, smoking and provocative dancing in the presence of children… the firing of at least one gun… men with knives and another man with an axe attacking people in front of security and damaging the hotel.”
Other images taken inside the slated for closure show men crowded in hallways, some fighting with knives and some bleeding from multiple stab wounds, according to court documents, many of which happened while children were present.
“The establishment and rise of the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua at the Gateway Hotel is concerning. We have observed several Venezuelans with Tren de Aragua tattoos,” an El Paso police officer said about the situation. According to local news station KVIA:.
The county attorney described the facility's conditions as “deplorable” and argued it should be shut down completely.
According to court documents, Yoon, who has owned the building since 2015, has been working for years to bring the hotel into compliance. He applied for a temporary use permit in 2018, but it expired a few months later and he has not applied for a new permit since.
According to court documents, the building was previously owned by an individual who was convicted in 2011 in federal court of smuggling and money laundering charges.
