Tren de Aragua Gang Emerges as a New Threat to Border Security

This is how the Venezuelan gang can become a target. The Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang plans to use armed tactics to breach the US border at El Paso. Gang activity is expected to increase, with potential targets including Texas National Guard soldiers. The gang collaborates with Mexican cartels on cross-border smuggling operations.

Aggressive Moves at the Border

The Tren de Aragua gang has been at the forefront of recent criminal activity at the U.S. border, employing armed offensives and specialized strategies to circumvent border control. This Venezuelan gang has significantly increased its operations in and around El Paso, Texas, posing significant challenges to current security measures.

The group is notorious for attempting to forcefully enter the United States with a variety of weapons, including knives and broken liquor bottles. Alarmingly, a recent Texas Department of Public Safety memo outlined plans for increased activity as early as New Year’s Day, raising concerns about ensuing violence for border security personnel.

Members of Tren de Aragua are reportedly mobbing border crossings and attacking guards to break into the U.S. before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, according to a Texas law enforcement memo obtained by the New York Post. https://t.co/EQAmFqmOJc

— NewsRadio WHAM 1180 (@WHAM1180) December 31, 2024

State Response and Security Measures

The threat posed by the Tren de Aragua gang has prompted significant responses from state and federal law enforcement agencies. Texas Governor Greg Abbott labeled the group as a foreign terrorist organization. This classification emphasizes the gravity of the threat they pose domestically, especially since gang members are reportedly receiving orders from abroad that align with terrorist ideologies of destruction.

“I think that TdA is coming in with an instruction from their home country. And I think that their ideology is more of a terrorist ideology of destruction” – Victor Avila

Despite these challenges, efforts to counteract the threats include deploying additional state resources and enforcing mandatory minimum sentences for gang-related smuggling activities. State authorities are working closely with national agencies to manage the situation near the border effectively.

SCOOP: Knife-wielding Tren de Aragua gangsters are mobbing border crossings in El Paso in an attempt to break into the US — and have said they will attack border guards who try to stop them, according to an internal TX DPS memo we obtained.

Last week, 20 of the Venezuelan… pic.twitter.com/xkqOeLvwWX

— Jennie Taer 🎗️ (@JennieSTaer) December 31, 2024

A Broader Network and Implications

The gang’s operations extend beyond El Paso. According to reports, they have a presence in multiple states and are expanding their influence through collaborations with Mexican cartels. These collaborations have facilitated smuggling activities, making it even more difficult for law enforcement to effectively manage such organized crime.

“Texas is aggressively going after these foreign terrorist organizations of TdA,” said Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

Adding to the tension, Victor Avila, a retired Homeland Security Investigations agent, pointed out that the gang’s actions appear to be timed to coincide with anticipated policy changes by the incoming administration.