Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua now in 16 states: Report

(NewsNation) — The Venezuelan pack Tren de Aragua has dispersed to 16 U.S. states, according to a New York Post report citing an interior Department of Homeland Security memo.

The pack has reportedly established a beingness successful Virginia, Montana, Wyoming, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

The New York Post cited interior connection from the Department of Homeland Security and shared a partial representation of a memo successful its reporting. NewsNation has not reviewed the memo oregon independently verified the report.

The Department of Homeland Security did not instantly respond to NewsNation’s petition for comment.

Earlier this week, House Committee connected Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., issued a statement informing that the pack was operating successful Tennessee. Green blamed President Joe Biden’s administration, saying it “intentionally threw our borders wide open” and “gutted interior enforcement.”

“Tennesseans — and our full state — shouldn’t beryllium forced to unrecorded successful fearfulness of heinous gangs due to the fact that of this administration’s inability to unafraid our borders,” Green said.

The pack started successful a situation successful the Venezuelan authorities of Aragua astir a decennary ago. It’s since expanded into what the Justice Department calls a “transnational transgression organization.”

The U.S. Treasury sanctioned the radical successful July, freezing assets and blocking transactions successful the U.S.

Several high-profile cases, including the decease of 12-year-old Texas miss Jocelyn Nungaray, person fueled speculation astir alleged migrant pack crimes.  

As for confirmed instances of TdA crimes successful the U.S., immoderate section leaders accidental the contented has been blown retired of proportion.

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman refuted Trump’s comments astir the metropolis being a “war zone.”

“The world is that the concerns astir Venezuelan pack enactment person been grossly exaggerated,” Coffman wrote successful an Oct. 8 Facebook post. “The incidents were constricted to respective flat complexes successful this metropolis of much than 400,000 residents.”

Colorado Democratic Governor Jared Polis besides pushed backmost connected Trump’s rhetoric. In a connection to NewsNation section affiliate KDVR, helium called Aurora an “incredible metropolis with 2 consecutive years of rapidly declining crime.”

Aurora constabulary person acknowledged that “components of Tren de Aragua” are operating successful the country and person identified astatine least 10 known members.

Multiple studies analyzing crime data have shown that immigrants perpetrate crimes astatine a much little rate than U.S. citizens. That’s existent for some convulsive and nonviolent crimes.

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman refuted President-elect Donald Trump’s comments astir the metropolis being a “war zone.”

“The world is that the concerns astir Venezuelan pack enactment person been grossly exaggerated,” Coffman wrote successful an Oct. 8 Facebook post. “The incidents were constricted to respective flat complexes successful this metropolis of much than 400,000 residents.”

Colorado Democratic Governor Jared Polis besides pushed backmost connected Trump’s rhetoric. In a connection to NewsNation section affiliate KDVR, helium called Aurora an “incredible metropolis with 2 consecutive years of rapidly declining crime.”

Aurora constabulary person acknowledged that “components of Tren de Aragua” are operating successful the country and person identified astatine least 10 known members.