The violent Venezuelan gangster Tren DeLagua, now recognized as a national security threat under the Trump administration, began in El Paso. For years, the FBI and border patrols have been sounding alarms, warning that this ruthless gang is on the rise. Their concern fell into deaf ears until gang reach began invading cities across the US
Fox News was sitting at El Paso for the first time, with the leader of Border Patrol and the first people the FBI discovered and identified the TDA.
“We were able to really work together on the alarm. I think it quickly became clear that this wasn't just the other street gangs, but this was a very violent gang with very bad intentions.”
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According to CBP, immigrant encounters are the lowest in a few years.
However, at the end of 2022, Border Patrol agents noticed a surge in Venezuelans. It peaked in 2023, with over 71,000 Venezuelans crossing in the El Paso sector alone.
“At that time, there were thousands of people in this field every day,” Slosar said. “The criminal quickly took advantage of the flow and hid in that flow.”
Border Patrol agents noticed a surge in Venezuelan immigration, reaching peak in 2023 with over 71,000 Venezuelans crossing in the El Paso sector alone. Agents suspect that criminals will use heavy traffic to sneak into the US (Getty Images)
The agents knew there was a problem and worked with the FBI's El Paso Field Office to bring together Intel to learn about this violent gang. They said they had little support from Venezuela and had to start from scratch.
“It was a tough battle,” said Tim Sullivan, chief patrol agent for the U.S. Border Patrol Special Operations Group. “We had very limited support from Venezuela, so our agents did due diligence, started from scratch, built research and built a repository of knowledge we have through partnerships with federal partners.”
Britton Boyd, an assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's El Paso Field office, said he learned a lot about gangs after hundreds of hours of interviews, talking to people he met at the time across borders.
Border Patrol agents and the FBI have learned to identify TDA members through distinctive tattoos and specific behaviors. Some call the gang the “steroid MS-13,” but the El Paso FBI claimed that TDA is in its own class.
“Tren de Aragua has a completely different network of how they work, how they force them, and how they exploit the people around them,” said El Paso FBI special agent, who is responsible for John Morales. “There are similarities and people may confuse one with the other, but they are completely different animals.”
FBI agents claim that Tren de Aragua operates unlike other gangs. (Left: Obtained by New York Post Center: Edward Romero right: DEA)
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When asked about violence related to TDA, FBI and Border Patrol leaders noted that the group ignored humanity and the law. They explained that gangs are involved in drug trafficking, terror and modern slavery.
“Sex trafficking, fear tor, theft, high-end retail theft, all sorts of things that can make money, and all sorts of violence you can think of, certainly, with these people, is at the table.”
It took many years to notice the TDA as many people initially rejected or rejected warnings from FBI and Border Patrol agents in El Paso. Even the mayor of El Paso suggested that the claim was exaggerated after the gang was linked to criminal activity at a gateway hotel in downtown El Paso.
“When it comes to the gateway, that's not an exaggeration,” Morales said. “That's not an exaggeration. People need to understand it. Tren de Aragua has no restrictions, no boundaries, and no stopping once the scaffolding is obtained. So it's very important for people to understand it. It's a real threat.”
These investigators said they believe it wasn't until TDA began to spread across the country that TDA infiltrated various cities and high-level officials began to take the threat seriously.
Britton Boyd, assistant special agent for the El Paso FBI, and Walter Slothal, interim chief patrol agent El Paso sector, spoke about the threat of the trending lagua gang. (Getty Images | Fox News)
“I think they heard it loudly and clearly when their criminal businesses started appearing all over the US,” Slosar said. “And when it started seeing it in Central America, I think it really was what fired the alarm.”
The El Paso Field Office reported that TDA quickly realized that it would follow the immigration route and find new cities that would permeate and grow in the network.
“They're going to go to town, sneak in and target the most vulnerable people there,” Morales said.
FBI and Border Patrol agents said they felt they had heard in the end, as the Trump administration prioritizes defeating Tren de Aragua.
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“We all have pledged to protect this country and now we can do our best,” Sullivan said.
“This is a transformative moment in the modern history of American law enforcement, allowing and encouraging men and women to go out and work and keep their communities safe,” Boyd added.
