Gov. Greg Abbott pronounces crackdown on Venezuelan gang

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday introduced the state goes to focus on a Venezuelan gang that he stated was infamous for brutal violence and homicide and posed a menace to Texans’ security.

At a press convention in Houston, Abbott signed a proclamation that declares the Tren de Aragua gang a overseas terrorist group, and directed the Division of Public Security to create new strike groups of freeway patrol officers, SWAT groups, helicopters, canines and Texas Rangers to focus on areas with identified TDA exercise.

“We will bring the full weight of the government against the TDA by declaring TDA a foreign terrorist organization,” Abbott stated earlier than signing the proclamation. “Texas will use the courts to halt their operations, use civil asset forfeiture to take their property, use enhanced criminal penalties to keep them in jail, behind bars for longer periods of time.”

The governor singled out El Paso as a hotbed for current legal exercise by suspected members of Tren de Aragua. He stated residents there had just lately been involved about legal exercise in a neighborhood lodge the place 20 suspected Venezuelan gang members have been arrested.

El Paso County has denied “the hotel was taken over by any gang” and stated it was shut down due to a lawsuit targeted on broad legal exercise on the lodge.

“It’s important to clarify that this lawsuit was not prompted by criminal activities attributed to any specific group or gang,” El Paso County Lawyer Christina Sanchez stated in a press release. “I want to be clear that at no time did we allege in our lawsuit that the hotel was taken over by any gang or group of individuals.”

Abbott additionally stated a legislation the Legislature handed final 12 months can be used in opposition to members of Tren de Agua who smuggle immigrants. Below Senate Invoice 4, individuals convicted of smuggling immigrants or working a stash home obtain a minimal sentence of 10 years in jail.

“We are not going to allow them to use Texas as a base of operations to terrorize our citizens,” Abbott stated on the press convention, the place he was joined by DPS Director Steve McCraw, Texas Border Czar Mike Banks and Nationwide Border Patrol Council Vice President Chris Cabrera.

Abbott’s announcement comes on the heels of false claims by former President Donald Trump and different GOP leaders of Venezuelan gangs “taking over” a Colorado condominium advanced.

In July, the U.S. Division of the Treasury declared Tren de Aragua a transnational legal group that posed a menace to American communities. The gang focuses on human smuggling but in addition has engaged in human trafficking, extortion, and drug trafficking, based on the Division of the Treasury.

The U.S. State Division additionally introduced reward gives of as much as $12 million for data resulting in the arrest or conviction of the gang’s leaders.

A database figuring out who’s concerned within the gang doesn’t presently exist, Abbott stated, and Texas legislation enforcement officers will work to create one. Based on Abbott, there was Tren de Aragua exercise in Texas since 2021, and greater than 3,000 undocumented immigrants from Venezuela have been arrested in Texas for crimes, and one other greater than 200 are wished.

“I could sit up here and throw statistics at you and give you numbers as far as how many people are crossing and how many got away,” stated Cabrera, the Border Patrol council’s vice chairman. “But none of that would really matter when dealing with the issue that we have here with this gang.”

Throughout the nation, the gang has been linked to greater than 100 legislation enforcement investigations, Abbott stated, together with the capturing of two New York Metropolis cops.