AMERICAN SHERIFF ALLIANCE ISSUES CALL FOR ACTION AGAINST TREN DE ARAGUA
AMERICAN SHERIFF ALLIANCE ISSUES CALL FOR ACTION AGAINST TREN DE ARAGUA
Leadership from the nation’s sheriffs’ associations demands attention to the threat this Venezuelan-based gang poses to public safety in communities across America
Last week, law enforcement across the country was notified that the Venezuelan-based gang, Tren de Aragua (TDA), had issued a “green light” to its members to attack and fire upon U.S. law enforcement officers. The gang, which originated in the Venezuelan prison system, boasts a membership of over 5,000 members and many have made their way into the United States. Members of TDA have been linked to violent crimes across the country, including the recent arrest of an individual in Denver linked to a brutal beating of a jewelry store owner during an armed robbery which occurred on June 24th.
TDA participates in human smuggling and trafficking, kidnapping, extortion schemes, and moving illicit narcotics in their areas of operation. Since U.S. Customs and Border Protection had its first apprehension of a TDA member in March 2023, there have been 70 additional apprehensions within the United States. The total number of TDA members operating in the United States is unknown due to the number of “got-a-ways” entering the country, as well as those who may have been recruited domestically since TDA has showed its presence in the country.
“When we allow a brutal and violent gang, like TDA, to operate in the United States, we have failed in terms of border security,” said Sheriff Kieran Donahue, NSA President. “TDA is the latest example where failed policies have allowed violent gangs and criminal cartels into our country who subsequently commit heinous acts of violence and cause fear in our communities.”
