The American Sheriffs Association press release On Tuesday, he condemned the Biden-Harris administration for allowing a violent Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, into the United States.
Sheriffs have slammed the administration, saying TDA’s presence in the country is the latest example of how the open border policy has failed.
“Every county in the United States is a border county because of the increase in human trafficking, illegal drugs and violent criminals coming across the border.”
The group pointed to a recently leaked memo from the Department of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago that warned law enforcement officials that TDA members in the U.S. have “permission” from gangs to “shoot or attack” police.
The National Sheriffs Association also noted that the TDA has been “implicated in violent crimes across the United States,” including the armed robbery of a jewelry store in Denver, Colorado on June 24.
According to an NBC News report published in June, the gang is linked to more than 100 criminal investigations, and in July, the Treasury Department sanctioned the TDA as an international criminal organization.
“TDA is involved in human trafficking and trafficking, kidnapping, extortion schemes and the transportation of illegal narcotics within its area of operation,” a media release from the American Marshals’ League stated. “The total number of TDA members operating in the United States is unknown due to the number of ‘fugitives’ entering the United States and the number of members that may have been recruited within the country since TDA began operating in the United States.”
“Allowing brutal and violent gangs like TDA to operate on American soil is a failure in border security,” said Kieran Donahue, president of the National Sheriffs’ Association and sheriff of Canyon County, Idaho.
“TDA is the latest example of failed policies that have allowed gangs and criminal organizations to infiltrate our nation, commit heinous acts of violence and terrorize our communities,” Donahue added.
Clint McDonald, a former sheriff and executive director of the Southwest Border Sheriffs Coalition and the Texas Border Sheriffs Coalition, also blamed the current administration for the rise in gang-related crime.
“The American Sheriffs League issued a call to action in February regarding the fears of violent criminals, cartel members and those on terrorist screening databases,” McDonald said.
“The rapid increase in the number of TDA members in our country makes it clear that our borders are failing to prevent bad actors from entering our country with bad intentions,” McDonald continued. “Coming to the United States and making death threats against U.S. law enforcement is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
The American Sheriffs’ Alliance has declared it is committed to finding a solution to the border crisis.
“With an increase in human trafficking, illegal narcotics and violent criminals crossing the border, every county in the United States is a border county, affected by a foreign policy that does not adequately address the problems of gangs and organized crime cartels manufacturing and smuggling drugs, including fentanyl,” the group concluded.
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