WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Wednesday, October 23rd, Fox News confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has identified more than 100 illegal immigrants with possible ties to the violent Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua (TdA), recommending that they be put on an FBI watchlist after flagging more than 600 with possible ties overall.
Prior to Fox News confirming this information, NBC News first reported that DHA has identified more than 600 individuals with possible ties to TdA and that 100 of those are deemed "subjects of interest." DHS is recommending that those 100 individuals be placed on the FBI's Watchlist for Transnational Criminal Organizations. At this time, officials do not believe that all 600 illegal immigrants will be confirmed gang members, and instead believe that many will be relatives, victims, or witnesses to crimes by the violent gang members.
Officials said that the gang is believed to have started in the Tocoron prison in the Venezuelan state of Aragua and has since expanded into Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and the United States. DHS said that the identities of these individuals emerged as part of an ongoing re-screening operation to tackle the gang. In a statement, a DHS spokesperson said, "As a part of our work to counter TdA, DHS has an ongoing operation to crack down on gang members through re-screening certain individuals previously encountered, in addition to the rigorous screening and vetting at the border."
DHS said that those confirmed or suspected of being gang members will either be referred for prosecution or placed into expedited removal, which is a deportation process that allows for the quick removal of illegal immigrants.
The statement from DHS stressed that those identified in the re-screening process "include those already in custody, potential victims or witnesses who are not themselves suspected of being TdA members, and others who may not have any involvement in TdA at all." Several crimes have been committed during the year that are linked to TdA in multiple states including Georgia, Illinois, Texas, Colorado, and New York.
A week prior to this announcement, federal immigration authorities announced that a confirmed TdA member was arrested in Houston, Texas, for allegedly recruiting middle school students to become new gang members.
The gang's presence in the United States has increased at the same time as a massive migration surge to the southern border, which included a significant number of Venezuelans. Border numbers have dropped sharply since June, but the impact of that crisis is still being felt in many communities across the United States. Experts noted to NBC that the number of identified members is low and could represent a gap in intelligence as Venezuela does not share its databases with the United States and relations with the country are not at their greatest. Earlier in 2024, Venezuela stopped accepting deportation flights from the U.S.
In a statement, Frank Figliuzzi, a former FBI assistant director for counterintelligence and an NBC News contributor said, "The number is almost disturbingly low. It should be higher." He said that TdA has not yet reached the size or sophistication levels of larger gangs that have existed in the U.S. for years. He said, "Most gang experts would say that TdA is not yet exhibiting signs of sophistication and advanced organization within the United States."
TdA has become an issue in the presidential election with former President Donald Trump announcing recently that he would invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1978 to target and dismantle "every illegal migrant criminal network operating on American soil." He said that, if elected, the federal government would "sent elite squads of ICE, Border Patrol, and federal law enforcement officers to hunt down, arrest, and deport every last illegal alien gang member until there is not a single one left in this country."
Vice President Kamala Harris, on the other hand, has stressed her support for a bipartisan border security bill to provide additional funding to the border and has also highlighted her history targeting transnational criminal organizations as a federal prosecutor.
Prior to Fox News confirming this information, NBC News first reported that DHA has identified more than 600 individuals with possible ties to TdA and that 100 of those are deemed "subjects of interest." DHS is recommending that those 100 individuals be placed on the FBI's Watchlist for Transnational Criminal Organizations. At this time, officials do not believe that all 600 illegal immigrants will be confirmed gang members, and instead believe that many will be relatives, victims, or witnesses to crimes by the violent gang members.
Officials said that the gang is believed to have started in the Tocoron prison in the Venezuelan state of Aragua and has since expanded into Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and the United States. DHS said that the identities of these individuals emerged as part of an ongoing re-screening operation to tackle the gang. In a statement, a DHS spokesperson said, "As a part of our work to counter TdA, DHS has an ongoing operation to crack down on gang members through re-screening certain individuals previously encountered, in addition to the rigorous screening and vetting at the border."
DHS said that those confirmed or suspected of being gang members will either be referred for prosecution or placed into expedited removal, which is a deportation process that allows for the quick removal of illegal immigrants.
The statement from DHS stressed that those identified in the re-screening process "include those already in custody, potential victims or witnesses who are not themselves suspected of being TdA members, and others who may not have any involvement in TdA at all." Several crimes have been committed during the year that are linked to TdA in multiple states including Georgia, Illinois, Texas, Colorado, and New York.
A week prior to this announcement, federal immigration authorities announced that a confirmed TdA member was arrested in Houston, Texas, for allegedly recruiting middle school students to become new gang members.
The gang's presence in the United States has increased at the same time as a massive migration surge to the southern border, which included a significant number of Venezuelans. Border numbers have dropped sharply since June, but the impact of that crisis is still being felt in many communities across the United States. Experts noted to NBC that the number of identified members is low and could represent a gap in intelligence as Venezuela does not share its databases with the United States and relations with the country are not at their greatest. Earlier in 2024, Venezuela stopped accepting deportation flights from the U.S.
In a statement, Frank Figliuzzi, a former FBI assistant director for counterintelligence and an NBC News contributor said, "The number is almost disturbingly low. It should be higher." He said that TdA has not yet reached the size or sophistication levels of larger gangs that have existed in the U.S. for years. He said, "Most gang experts would say that TdA is not yet exhibiting signs of sophistication and advanced organization within the United States."
TdA has become an issue in the presidential election with former President Donald Trump announcing recently that he would invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1978 to target and dismantle "every illegal migrant criminal network operating on American soil." He said that, if elected, the federal government would "sent elite squads of ICE, Border Patrol, and federal law enforcement officers to hunt down, arrest, and deport every last illegal alien gang member until there is not a single one left in this country."
Vice President Kamala Harris, on the other hand, has stressed her support for a bipartisan border security bill to provide additional funding to the border and has also highlighted her history targeting transnational criminal organizations as a federal prosecutor.
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Comments
2024-10-25T19:38-0400 | Comment by: Paul
Should have been a sniper taking out every one of those point finger gunsat the cameras.
2024-10-31T11:24-0400 | Comment by: Laurence
This is yet another example of the incompetence of the Biden Administration. How many are criminal illegals who have been allowed to invade our country? If Harris wins the election, this situation will get even worse. Why haven't these invaders been arrested and jailed? Another reason why we must reduce immigration, legal and illegal.