Members of Missouri's congressional delegation are demanding answers from the president about members of the violent Torren de Aragua (TdA) Venezuelan prison gang in the state.
Members of the TdA gang have been charged with brutal violence, murder, kidnapping, extortion, bribery, human trafficking, drug trafficking and other charges, and are involved in more than 100 law enforcement investigations across the country. Center Square reported..
In late October, federal authorities confirmed that TdA members were not alone in Clinton County in northwest Missouri, but federal authorities recommended that local law enforcement officers release them into the community.
After conducting a traffic stop and contacting the Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Investigations, officers learned that the men they stopped included one known TdA member and one suspect.
Both were in the country illegally. One was arrested in September 2023 and was awaiting trial in federal immigration court. The other person was ordered to leave and was subject to mandatory detention, but was not detained.
“Despite the threat these individuals pose to Missouri residents, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials contacted local law enforcement officials and recommended that the individuals in question be released due to Venezuela's refusal to accept them. ” the lawmakers wrote. The government “reportedly directed local police in Missouri to release known members.” [TdA] This is because Venezuela has refused to cooperate with the deportation lawsuit. ”
The Biden administration has terminated or revoked previous agreements between certain countries and the Trump administration that required them to accept their nationals who had been ordered to leave the United States.
Under the Biden administration, not all countries will cooperate or accept the return of their nationals as part of the U.S. deportation process, federal officials told Center Square.
A delegation led by Rep. Sam Graves, whose district represents Clinton County, told the president he “refuses to hold Venezuela accountable for unacceptable delays in the process of removing illegal immigrants.”
These delays, sometimes indefinite, not only give the impression that foreign countries are allowed to direct enforcement of U.S. immigration laws, but also endanger our communities. It will also be. ”
Under the Biden administration, more than 1 million Venezuelans have been reported to have crossed the border illegally, including at least 117,000 released into the United States through one parole program and deemed inadmissible. center square first reported.
As more Venezuelans entered the United States illegally, TdA crimes also increased.
Most TdA crimes are found to cross multiple state lines, including violent crimes such as murder, bank and ATM theft, carjacking, and kidnapping. Center Square reported..
In July, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control designated TdA as a transnational criminal organization and sanctioned it.
OFAC said TdA “has expanded throughout the Western Hemisphere and engages in a variety of criminal activities, including human smuggling and human trafficking, gender-based violence, money laundering, and illicit drug trafficking.” Center Square reported..
OFAC said that in addition to human smuggling, TdA “has developed additional sources of income through a variety of criminal activities, including illegal mining, kidnapping, human trafficking, extortion, and trafficking of illicit drugs such as cocaine and MDMA.” .
Earlier this year, Texas Governor Greg Abbott designated the group as a foreign terrorist organization and expanded law enforcement operations across the state to target and shut down its operations in the state. He asked the president to do the same, but received no response.
of The Texas Department of Public Safety is proposing: Reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of a TdA gang member. Multiple law enforcement operations targeting TdA in major cities across the state continue to be successful. reported.
Missouri lawmakers called on Biden to provide “quick and transparent answers” to questions, including information about why ICE officials recommended the release of TdA gang members to Clinton County law enforcement officers.
They also asked what steps the administration had taken to “pressure Venezuela to cooperate in deporting dangerous gang members who are in the United States illegally.” What action will the president take if Venezuela continues to refuse to cooperate with U.S. authorities regarding the deportation case? and how many undocumented TdA members who have not been deported have been identified.
The president is unlikely to respond. President-elect Donald Trump has already said he plans to implement a deportation operation that will target violent criminals first, including TdA members. He wiretapped former ICE Director Tom Homan, who warned criminals that he was coming.
Graves was joined by Sens. Josh Hawley, Eric Schmidt, Blaine Lutkemeyer, Ann Wagner, Jason Smith, Mark Alfor and Eric Burleson.
