The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released a memo warning of a significant threat posed by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) to U.S. law enforcement. The memo indicates that the gang has authorized its members to attack and shoot police officers in Denver, Colorado, and other major cities where the gang has established a presence.
Tren de Aragua, known as a “multistate human trafficking ring” by CNN, has been linked to hundreds of violent crimes this year alone. The gang forces immigrant women and minors into prostitution and is involved in various illegal activities, including theft, human trafficking, gun smuggling, and money laundering. The gang’s infiltration into the U.S. involved members posing as asylum seekers.
“Credible human sources from Colorado provided information on TdA giving a ‘green light’ to fire on or attack law enforcement,” the DHS memo stated. This intelligence, sourced from the Albuquerque Police Department, reveals the gang’s reach into multiple U.S. cities.
Denver, which has accepted 42,000 illegal foreign nationals, many from Venezuela, has become a significant hub for the gang. The gang, named after Venezuela’s Aragua province, has expanded its operations to cities like New York, Chicago, and Miami.
Despite the U.S. Border Patrol’s efforts to track the gang, many members avoid detection by not having gang tattoos or identifiers. Since last year, at least 70 members have been apprehended for violent crimes.
An anonymous source within the U.S. Border Patrol expressed concern, stating, “We have zero access to other nations’ criminal databases, and with this administration’s uselessness in deterring these criminals, they will keep entering undetected.”
This situation highlights the critical need for improved border security and international collaboration to combat the threat posed by violent gangs like Tren de Aragua, ensuring the safety of both law enforcement and the public.
