Members of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua were given “permission” to shoot and attack police officers in Denver, according to a federal memo obtained by The Washington Post.
The gang has already been linked to hundreds of crimes, including the shooting and killing of two NYPD officers in June who were trying to arrest one of its members.
“A reliable source in Colorado provided information regarding TdA. [Tren de Aragua] “This gives a ‘green light’ to shoot or attack law enforcement,” a memo from Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago said.
“As you know, TdA has a base in Chicago, so if you encounter any TdA members or associates during investigations or operations, please exercise extreme caution.”
The memo states the gang is already based in Chicago, adding that a “reliable source in Colorado” provided the information through the Albuquerque Police Department.
The warning comes as Denver has welcomed 42,000 immigrants, more per capita than any other U.S. city, many of them from Venezuela.
The prison gang, whose name means “Aragua Train” – a reference to the Aragua region of Venezuela – sent its members across the southern border into the United States disguised as asylum seekers.
From there, members reportedly travel to major US cities, including New York, Chicago, Miami and Denver, to engage in money laundering, gun smuggling, theft and human trafficking.
The Border Patrol began tracking the group last year and has recorded the capture of 70 members. According to federal data.
But younger members are careful to avoid gang tattoos or other identifying marks to avoid detection, allowing many to slip through law enforcement and screening processes at the border, sources told The Washington Post.
Right now, “it’s very easy for criminals to enter the United States,” a Border Patrol source told The Post.
“They will continue to slip in undetected because we do not have any access to criminal databases of other countries and the current administration has no power to deter these criminals,” the source said.
The gang is the subject of more than 100 criminal investigations, according to federal authorities. NBC News.
Earlier this month, The Biden administration is gang-bashing It was designated an international criminal organization and a $12 million reward was offered for the capture of its leaders.
Bernardo Raul Castro Mata, 19, a Venezuelan immigrant accused of shooting and killing two NYPD officers on June 3, reportedly told police he was recruited by a Venezuelan gang’s “coordinator” in the Big Apple to join their “purse-snatching” moped theft ring.
Sources previously told The Washington Post that Castro Mata was encouraged to get a gang tattoo to prove his loyalty after illegally crossing the border into Texas last July.
Castro Mata also revealed that gangs were smuggling guns into migrant shelters in New York City hidden in food delivery bags.
The gang is also believed to be linked to an attack on two police officers in Times Square in January.
