ICE admits lax border security policies allowed Tren de Aragua gang members to illegally enter the U.S.

09/24/2024 / By Laura Harris

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has admitted that the lax border security policies of the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are allowing members of the notorious Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang into the United States illegally.

In September, four Venezuelan nationals and members of the notorious TdA gang, were arrested in Aurora, Colorado following a shooting near the Nome Street Apartments, where gang-related violence has recently escalated.

The four men, aged 19 to 24, were arrested by the local police after surveillance footage that circulated online on July 28 captured armed members of the Tren de Aragua gang forcing their way into an apartment in Aurora.

The suspects were identified as Jhonnarty Dejesus Pacheco-Chirinos, Jhonardy Jose Pacheco-Chirinos, Nixon Jose Azuaje Perez and Dixon Jose Azuaje Perez. Both the Pacheco-Chirinos brothers crossed the border illegally via Texas in October 2022, while the Azuaje-Perez brothers were apprehended at Eagle Pass, Texas, in August 2023.

According to the Aurora Police Department, Jhonnarty is a confirmed member of the Tren de Aragua, a dangerous transnational gang with over 5,000 members operating across Venezuela, the U.S. and other countries. His brother, Jhonardy, known by the aliases “Cookie” and “Galleta,” is also involved in the case.

Both Nixon and Dixon are suspected to be members of the same gang and face charges of tampering with evidence connected to the shooting. (Related: Violent “Tren de Aragua” prison gang from Venezuela terrorizes, takes over El Paso hotel.)

ICE has placed detainer requests on two of the arrested individuals, while investigations into the gang’s activities in the U.S. continue.

Aurora City Council member Danielle Jurinsky blamed the Biden-Harris administration for failing to secure the southern border. He pointed out that gang-related violence is a consequence of lax immigration enforcement.

“Thanks to the failure of the Biden administration to secure the border, the people of Aurora and other Americans have suffered at the hands of the Tren de Aragua gang,” said Jurinsky.

Abbott declares TdA as a “foreign terrorist organization” in the Lone Star State

The TdA is notorious for murder, drug trafficking, human trafficking, sex trafficking, extortion and kidnapping. Its presence in the U.S. has raised alarms about the growing influence of international criminal organizations.

In line with this, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott officially designated TdA as a “foreign terrorist organization” in the Lone Star State during the Texas Department of Public Safety‘s (DPS) Southeast Texas Regional Headquarters press conference in Houston on Sept. 16.

“Today in Houston, I designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization. Texas will aggressively target them to disrupt their criminal activities & deny their foothold in our state,” Abbott said in a post on his official account on X, formerly Twitter. “Texas is the wrong state for them to do business in.”

Moreover, Abbott pledged that Texas authorities would not permit the Tren de Aragua to establish a foothold by implementing stringent measures to prevent their expansion.

“The recent entry and expansion of the vicious Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, is a dangerous and deadly problem facing our state and nation,” said Abbott. “Our top focus is the safety and security of all Texans. Our goal is to defend Texas from the growing threat of the gang. We will not let them use Texas as a base of operations to terrorize our citizens. They have a target on their back, and we are going after them.”

In response, Abbott instructed the DPS to elevate the Tren de Aragua to “Tier 1” gang status, making it a top priority for law enforcement. A specialized “TdA Strike Team” will be formed to target and apprehend gang members operating within Texas.

Head over to Violence.news for similar stories about migrant criminals.

Watch this clip of Oscar “El Blue” Ramirez being ambushed and mugged by MS-13 members while reporting.

This video is from the SecureLife channel on Brighteon.com.