After 100 suspected gang members storm southern border, Texas governor makes huge move

HOUSTON, TX - A violent breach of the U.S. border near El Paso, Texas in March reportedly included over 100 suspected members of the hyper-violent Venezuelan gang that has plagued New York City for months: Tren de Aragua (TdA). Now, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott is acting to crack down on the transnational criminal organization. Abbott has declared TdA a terrorist organization, recognized as such by Texas law enforcement.

Abbott spoke of TdA's involvement in the March border breach during a Monday press conference touting the move, according to The New York Post. “Earlier this year, more than 100 suspected TdA members were arrested after the riots at the El Paso border, when immigrants assaulted the Texas National Guard."

The outlet reported that after the rush over the border which saw Texas National Guard members injured and hundreds of illegal immigrants breach the razor-wire at the border, Tren de Aragua members have created footholds all across the nation.
 

Yesterday, I announced Texas is launching a statewide operation to go after the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.@TxDPS will coordinate with federal and local partners through Texas Anti-Gang Centers to stop these dangerous criminals.

Our #1 priority is keeping Texans safe. pic.twitter.com/LHH9lQaLt0

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) September 17, 2024

During the Monday presser, Abbott told the public, “Texas is aggressively going after these foreign terrorist organizations of TdA." He explained in a statement, "The recent entry and expansion of the vicious Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, is a dangerous and deadly problem facing our state and nation."

“Our top focus is the safety and security of all Texans. To address this looming threat, I have ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to launch a statewide operation directly targeting Tren de Aragua to deter and disrupt their criminal operation. I am also officially designating Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization."

Abbot pledged that Texas would expel the Venezuelan gang from its borders.

"Our goal is to defend Texas from the growing threat of the gang. We will not let them use Texas as a base of operations to terrorize our citizens. They have a target on their back, and we are going after them. Texas is the wrong state for them to try to do business in.”

As part of the plan laid out by Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety will be coordinating its operations in conjunction with federal and local partners through Texas Anti-Gang Centers already in operation in El Paso, Houston, Irving, Laredo, Lubbock, McAllen, San Antonio, Tyler, and Waco. 

Abbott will institute a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence for TdA smugglers who traffic illegal immigrants into the state and will generate a database tracking the terrorist group's membership, enhancing multi-agency capabilities. The outlet noted that Texas law enforcement recently made twenty arrests in a human smuggling, prostitution and drug bust in El Paso- with several suspected TdA members were among those apprehended.