The Texas Department of Public Safety announced Tuesday that its agents had arrested a human trafficker who not only turned out to be a member of Tren de Aragua, but who had also been released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after being arrested days earlier on a separate smuggling attempt.
“As part of Operation Lone Star (OLS), Texas State Police arrested a human trafficking promoter wearing an ICE tracking and monitoring device during a traffic stop in El Paso. The promoter, Michael Diaz Guerra, 24, of Venezuela, is a confirmed member of the Tren de Aragua gang and had been arrested several days prior for a separate smuggling attempt. He had recently been released by ICE,” Texas State Police wrote.
“Guerra was acting as a lookout for the other driver involved in the incident, 17-year-old Hildardo Perez III. DPS found three illegal immigrants hiding in the back seat of his vehicle. Guerra and Perez were arrested on charges of human smuggling,” DPS added.
“Tren de Aragua currently has members in cities such as Chicago, New York and Denver.”
Tren de Aragua is a violent gang originally from Venezuela that spread across Latin America during the mass exodus of the 2010s. Venezuelans have taken advantage of the US border crisis under the Biden-Harris administration, allowing gang members to easily infiltrate the southern border. Tren de Aragua now has members in cities such as Chicago, New York and Denver. Members have quickly established themselves in criminal organizations and migrant shelters in sanctuary cities.
A worrying recent development in the Tren de Aragua case is that intelligence agencies have issued a nationwide alert to law enforcement agencies across the country, warning that gang leaders have formally given their members “permission” to attack police officers.
After the Tren de Aragua threat became undeniable, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control Authorized Last month the gang
“Today’s designation of Tren de Aragua as a significant transnational criminal organization highlights the growing threat this organization poses to American communities,” said Assistant Attorney General for Counterterrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson. “As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to target transnational criminal organizations, we will use all of our tools and authorities against organizations like Tren de Aragua that prey on vulnerable people to generate profits, engage in a variety of criminal activities across borders, and exploit the U.S. financial system.”
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