Border Patrol agents reveal which foreign gang they consider their top ‘priority’ for crimes committed in multiple states

Senior border officials have made combating a Venezuelan street gang a priority after a surge in its activity in states including Texas and Colorado, with members linked to a range of crimes across the country.

Authorities tell Fox News not only that Tren de Aragua pose a growing threat, but that they are “treating them as a priority,” following numerous warnings about the bloodthirsty gang’s presence in the U.S.

Fox News Digital reported in July that officials warned that TdA had been given a “green light” to shoot or otherwise attack law enforcement officers in Denver, Colorado. Border Patrol officials had previously warned that the gang posed a threat to the community.

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Fox previously reported that CBP sent agents intelligence bulletins revealing the gang’s tattoos and identification. TdA is said to specialize in extortion, kidnapping, murder and sex trafficking. Federal authorities have warned that the gang is trying to establish itself in the U.S., where police have linked it to organized crime. The FBI has also warned that the gang may be working with MS-13.

The gang recently made headlines when footage of gang members carrying guns and entering apartments at a Denver apartment complex went viral. Four more people were arrested in Aurora this week in connection with a shooting at an apartment complex in July.

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In Texas, Dallas police told Fox News they had seen gang activity in northern Dallas linked to TdA.

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“Our department is working with other agencies to address possible crimes related to this and other gangs in our city. We are committed to preventing crime in our community and keeping our residents safe,” Dallas police Officer Michael Dennis told Fox.

The gang has also been linked to the shooting of two New York police officers in June, and drew particular attention when it was revealed that the brother of a Georgia student suspect Lake Riley had ties to a gang.

The gang’s rise has been linked to a three-year crisis at the southern border, during which large numbers of Venezuelans have crossed the U.S. border and been released into the country. While encounters at the border have fallen sharply in recent months, the effects of the crisis are still being felt and will likely be a key issue for voters in November.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

Recently, the Ministry of Finance designated Tren de Aragua as a significant international criminal organization and offered financial rewards for the conviction of three of its leaders.

“Tren de Aragua uses its transnational networks to traffic human beings, particularly migrant women and girls, across borders for sex trafficking and debt bondage,” the Treasury Department said in a statement at the time. “Tren de Aragua members often kill them and publicize their deaths as a threat to others.”

In April, FBI Director Christopher Wray admitted that the agency was monitoring the gang.

“We are certainly tracking this particular gang, TdA as we call it. We have Safe Streets Violent Gang Task Forces in all 56 of our field offices that focus specifically on gangs and other similar violent criminal enterprises,” he told lawmakers.

Michael Lee and Jasmine Baehr of Fox News contributed to this report.

Source of original article: Border Patrol agents reveal which foreign gang they consider their top ‘priority’ for crimes committed in multiple states