The violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua has reportedly been given the green light to open fire on and attack law enforcement officers in Denver. This information was obtained from a federal memo from the Homeland Security Investigations office in Chicago. The gang has already been tied to numerous crimes, including the shootings of two NYPD officers who were attempting to arrest one of its members in June. The memo warned law enforcement officials to be vigilant when encountering Tren de Aragua members or affiliates, as the gang has a presence in Chicago as well.
Tren de Aragua, which translates to “The Aragua Train,” is a prison gang that has infiltrated the US by sending members disguised as asylum seekers across the southern border. Once in the country, the gang’s members have spread to major cities such as New York, Chicago, Miami, and Denver, engaging in activities like money laundering, gun smuggling, theft, and human trafficking. While the Border Patrol has started tracking the group, it has been reported that many members are able to evade law enforcement and border control due to their younger members’ efforts to conceal gang affiliations by avoiding tattoos and other identifiers.
According to sources, it is currently too easy for criminals to enter the US, as law enforcement agencies lack access to other nations’ criminal databases. The Biden administration has recently designated Tren de Aragua as a transnational criminal organization and is offering a $12 million reward for the arrests of its leaders. The gang has been the subject of over 100 criminal investigations by federal authorities, highlighting the severity of its criminal activities. Reports indicate that the gang has been smuggling guns into New York City’s migrant shelters in food delivery bags, and it has also been linked to the assault on two police officers in Times Square earlier in the year.
Venezuelan migrant Bernardo Raul Castro Mata, 19, who is accused of shooting two NYPD officers in June, claimed that he was recruited by the Venezuelan gang’s coordinator in New York City to join its criminal activities. After illegally crossing the border into Texas, Castro Mata was allegedly encouraged to get gang tattoos to prove his loyalty. The gang has been involved in various criminal activities, including snatch-and-grab thefts by moped thieves. Despite Border Patrol efforts to track the gang, sources have pointed out the challenges in deterring criminals from entering the country undetected, particularly with the current administration’s limitations.
The influx of migrants from Venezuela, with Denver receiving the most migrants per capita among US cities, has heightened concerns about the presence of Tren de Aragua and other criminal organizations in the country. The gang’s activities, which include money laundering, gun trafficking, theft, and human trafficking, pose a significant threat to public safety. Law enforcement agencies have been alerted to the gang’s presence in various cities, with a warning issued about the gang’s willingness to open fire on or attack officers in Denver. The situation underscores the need for increased vigilance and cooperation among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to combat transnational criminal organizations like Tren de Aragua.
