Texas Governor Abbott announces tough action against Venezuelan gang

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Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced Monday that the state would take action against a Venezuelan gang that he said is notorious for its brutal violence and murders and poses a threat to the safety of Texans.

At a press conference in Houston, Abbott signed a proclamation declaring the Tren de Aragua gang a foreign terrorist organization and directed the Department of Public Safety to create new response teams of highway patrol officers, SWAT teams, helicopters, dogs and Texas Rangers to target areas of known TDA activity.

“We will use the full power of the federal government against the TDA by declaring them a foreign terrorist organization,” Abbott said before signing the proclamation. “Texas will use the courts to stop their activities, will use civil asset forfeiture to seize their property, and will use enhanced penalties to keep them in prison and behind bars for longer periods of time.”

The governor cited El Paso as a hotbed for recent criminal activity by suspected members of the Tren de Aragua. He said residents there were recently concerned about criminal activity at a local hotel where 20 suspected Venezuelan gang members were arrested.

El Paso County denied that the hotel was “taken over by any gang” and said it was closed due to a lawsuit alleging extensive criminal activity at the hotel.

“It is important to clarify that this lawsuit was not sparked by criminal activity attributed to a specific group or gang,” El Paso County District Attorney Christina Sanchez said in a statement. “I want to make it clear that at no point in our lawsuit did we allege that the hotel was taken over by a gang or group of individuals.”

Abbott also said a bill the legislature passed last year would be used against Tren de Agua members who smuggle immigrants. Under Senate Bill 4, people convicted of immigrant smuggling or operating a stash house face a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.

“We will not allow them to use Texas as a base of operations to terrorize our citizens,” Abbott said at the news conference, where he was joined by DPS Director Steve McCraw, Texas border czar Mike Banks and National Border Patrol Council Vice President Chris Cabrera.

Abbott's announcement came shortly after former President Donald Trump and other GOP leaders made false claims that Venezuelan gangs had “taken over” a Colorado apartment complex.

In July, the U.S. Treasury Department declared Tren de Aragua a transnational criminal organization that poses a threat to the American people. The gang focuses on human smuggling, but is also involved in human trafficking, extortion and drug trafficking, according to the Treasury Department.

The US State Department has also announced a reward of up to twelve million dollars for information leading to the arrest or conviction of the gang's leaders.

A database identifying who is involved in the gang does not currently exist, Abbott said, and Texas law enforcement officials will work to create one. According to Abbott, Tren de Aragua activity has been occurring in Texas since 2021, and more than 3,000 illegal immigrants from Venezuela have been arrested in Texas for crimes, and another 200-plus are wanted.

“I could sit here and give you statistics and give you numbers on how many people are crossing the border and how many have escaped,” said Cabrera, the vice president of the Border Patrol Council. “But none of that would really matter when it comes to the problem we have here with this gang.”

The gang is involved in more than 100 police investigations across the country, Abbott said, including the shooting of two New York police officers.