The Department of Homeland Security is recommending that more than 100 immigrants it has identified as potentially affiliated with bloodthirsty Venezuelan gangs be placed on the FBI's watch list, the agency said, adding that there are more than 600 people overall. This was confirmed by Fox News on Wednesday after it warned of a possible connection.
NBC News first reported that DHS has identified more than 600 people with possible ties to Torren de Aragua, 100 of whom are considered “subjects of interest.” Fox acknowledged that he recommended placing them on the FBI's transnational organized crime watch list.
Officials do not believe all 600 immigrants will be identified as gang members, and believe many will be relatives, victims, or witnesses to crimes committed by notorious gang members. Authorities prioritize gangs to prevent them from growing.
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Still images from social media videos show juvenile members of the Roosevelt Hotel-based group Tren de Aragua allegedly attacking nearby Times Square in a series of robberies. (Obtained by New York Post)
The gang is believed to have originated in the Tocolon prison in Venezuela's Aragua state and has since spread to Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and the United States. DHS said in a statement that only some of the individuals have been identified. of the ongoing re-examination operation to combat gangs.
“As part of our efforts to combat TdA, DHS continues to crack down on gang members through rigorous screening and testing at the border, as well as retesting certain individuals we have encountered in the past,” a DHS spokesperson said. said.
The agency said those confirmed or suspected to be gang members will be prosecuted or referred to deportation proceedings, which allows for the expedited deportation of illegal immigrants.
The statement said those identified in the review include “those already in custody, potential victims or witnesses who are suspected of not being TdA members themselves, and those with no connection to TdA at all.” “This includes others who may not be present.”
Last year, a number of TdA-related crimes occurred in states including Georgia, Illinois, Texas, Colorado, and New York.
New report warns that bloodthirsty Venezuelan gangs' footprints will remain in US for 'decades'
According to the El Paso County Attorney's Office, Torren de Aragua gang members allegedly engaged in illegal activities including illegal dumping and drug use. (KFOX14/El Paso County Prosecutor's Office)
The gang is believed to have taken over an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, and New York City authorities have warned that the gang is recruiting children and has been linked to dozens of robberies in the sanctuary city. . Texas Governor Greg Abbott has also warned of the rise in gang numbers in his state.
Federal immigration officials announced last week: TdA member confirmed A man was arrested in Houston on suspicion of recruiting a middle school student to become a new gang member.
But the gang's presence has increased at the same time as a surge in large-scale migration to the southern border, including significant numbers of Venezuelans. Border numbers have fallen sharply since June, but the impact of the crisis is still being felt in communities across the country
Experts told NBC that the number of members identified was small and there may be gaps in information. Venezuela does not share databases with the United States, and relations are frosty. Earlier this year, Venezuela stopped accepting deportation flights from the United States.
Authorities have warned Border Patrol agents about possible gang traces, but they can be difficult to identify, and some people slip past agents as fugitives.
TdA is also an issue in the presidential election. Former President Donald Trump recently announced that he would invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to target and dismantle them.all illegal immigrants A criminal network operating in the United States. ”
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If elected, President Trump said the federal government would “deploy an elite force of ICE, Border Patrol, and federal law enforcement officers to hunt down every last illegal alien gang member until there is not one left in this country.” , arrest them and deport them from the country.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, meanwhile, emphasized her support for a bipartisan border security bill that would provide additional funding for the border, as well as her background targeting transnational criminal organizations as a federal prosecutor.
