Four confirmed members of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang have been arrested while attempting to illegally sneak into the United States via the southern border. Texas Governor Greg Abbott Announce.
The four TdA members were among 22 people suspected Illegal immigrants Who were arrested on New Year's Eve by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) working in Val Verde County.
“Our top priority is the safety and security of Texans, including confronting the growing threat to Trinh de Aragua,” Abbott said in a statement.
Abbott, whose administration is cracking down on the gang that has been terrorizing communities across the country, said the 22 migrants were from Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. Of the 22, 11 were arrested for criminal trespass, while the rest were family groups and were referred to the Border Patrol for processing.
Venezuelan migrant gang Tren de Aragua now operates in 16 states: report
Arrest of members of the Tren de Aragua in Texas. (Fox News)
The four TdA members were among a group of nine Venezuelan citizens who claimed they were headed to San Antonio, Irving, and Corsicana, Texas. DPS special agents were able to verify their gang affiliation through social media apps on their phones, as well as their tattoos, Abbott said.
The individuals have been identified as Segundo Ocando Mejia, 39; Pedro Luis Salazar-Cuervo, 27 years old; Antonio Joe Urrutia Rojas, 18; and Levi Jesus Urrutia Blanco, 18 years old.
Ocando Mejia had tattoos on his shoulders indicating he may hold rank or leadership within the gang, Abbott said.
Migrants stream through a hole in barbed wire in Texas in April. (David Peinado/Zuma PressWire)
Abbott said he designated TdA as a foreign terrorist organization, and in September, he launched a statewide operation to aggressively target TdA to disrupt their criminal operations. He directed DPS to raise them to a Tier 1 gang and created a TdA Strike Team to identify and arrest TdA gang members.
Abbott said he would not tolerate the gang operating or getting a foothold in Texas.
The gang has engaged in all types of violent crimes, including murders, shootings of police officers, assaults, robberies, and smuggling weapons into migrant shelters. A Department of Homeland Security memo cited by the New York Post in November suggests that is so It operates in at least 16 states.
“Until President Trump returns to the White House to secure it Our bordersAbbott said Texas will continue to pursue dangerous criminals like TdA and put them behind bars to protect Texans from this evil gang.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has said he will not allow TdA to gain a foothold in Texas. (Fox News Photo/Joshua Cummins)
Abbott announced that his Office of Public Safety is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of known or suspected members of the TdA gang who are or have been involved in criminal activity.
This news comes just days after 22 TdA gang members were murdered He was arrested in two raids in New York City.
Several of them were caught hiding out in a Bronx apartment building located next to a daycare center, a law enforcement source told Fox News, underscoring how the gang became enmeshed among the city's sanctuary's general population.
