Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has pointed police attention towards a Venezuelan gang that he says supports criminal operations.

What You Need To Know

  • At a news conference in Houston on Monday, Abbott officially signed a proclamation and designated Tren de Aragua (TdA) as a foreign terrorist organization

  • Abbott said he has constructed a plan to defent Texas from the organization he has labeled a Tier 1 threat

  • Abbott’s plan includes directing the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to create a strike team to target any TdA threats in Texas

  • El Paso is a hotspot for TdA activity, according to Abbott

At a news conference in Houston on Monday, Abbott officially signed a proclamation and designated Tren de Aragua (TdA) as a foreign terrorist organization. The transnational criminal gang originated in a Venezuelan prison, but slowly made its way to the United States in recent years.

Abbott said that Tren de Aragua is a dangerous and deadly issue, not only in Texas, but the entire nation. The governor labeled the organization as a Tier 1 threat. 

But Abbott said on Monday that he plans to defend the state from any looming danger. 

“Our top focus is the safety and security of all Texans,” Abbott said. “... Our goal is to defend Texas from the growing threat of the gang.”

Abbott’s plan includes directing the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to create a strike team to target any TdA threats in Texas. The governor said the team will include hundreds of personnel, including highway patrol officers, special agents and Texas Rangers to scout areas known to have TdA activity.

“Tren de Aragua gangsters are like cockroaches,” said DPS Director McCraw. “They multiply quickly; small intrusions into communities become infestations if not aggressively pursued. These Venezuelan thugs are highly combative, violent, and certainly adaptable. They’re always involved in situations that first start with human smuggling. Then they are involved in the extortion, kidnappings, rape, assaults, and sex trafficking of migrants. Governor Abbott has made it very clear: We will not allow any of these gangsters to gain a foothold in Texas.”

El Paso is a hotspot for TdA activity, according to Abbott. The Gateway Hotel has recently drawn attention and has temporarily shut down after the El Paso county attorney accused its owners of operating it illegally.

Abbott said the residents in and around the El Paso hotel were concerned about criminal activity in the area. A handful of suspected Venezuelan gang members were arrested. 

Last year, Gov. Abbott signed Senate Bill 1900 into law. It titled transnational drug cartels and criminal groups as foreign terrorist organizations in Texas. Under Senate Bill 4, anyone convicted of smuggling immigrants will receive a minimum 10-year prison sentence. 

The U.S. State Department also announced rewards of up to $12 million for information regarding the arrest or conviction of the gang’s leaders.

“We will not let them use Texas as a base of operations to terrorize our citizens,” Abbott said on Monday. “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.”