Victims of the Venezuelan gang “Tren de Aragua” recently sounded the alarm over the criminal organization’s presence in the U.S., with multiple high-profile incidents traced back to the gang.
During an interview with Frontlines’ Julio Rosas, immigration lawyer Ronaldo Vasquez said he’s heard growing concerns from Venezuelans living in the U.S. over the presence of “Tren de Aragua” in the country.
Tren de Aragua, a well-known criminal organization that originated in the prisons of Venezuela, has extended throughout our hemisphere.
Read this 🧵on Tren de Aragua’s ILLEGAL presence in our nation:
— Senator Marco Rubio (@SenMarcoRubio) March 16, 2024
Rosas was told that “the people we ran from in Venezuela, some very dangerous people, are coming through the border.” The immigration lawyer said that although communication was anonymous, many victims were scared to speak out, demonstrating the power the gang has over Venezuelans.
One of the confidential sources told Rosas that his friends were “brutally murdered” by “Tren de Aragua,” explaining that the criminal organization was “secretly in charge in attacking the civilian population” and used fear tactics to coerce the public into voting or acting a specific way. The gang would threaten to kill family members of those who were disobedient.
“They don’t have any morals, or basic concept of respect for human life,” one of the victims said, pointing out that in Miami, Florida, multiple families still fund the gang to prevent their relatives from being murdered in Venezuela.
Another victim of the “Tren de Aragua” gang said he was blackmailed by one of the criminal group’s members who said he just wanted money and would have little to no problem kidnapping and murdering the man’s wife and daughter to obtain what he wanted.
“These are not your average criminals,” the man warned. “These are people who are really coming to threaten the national security of this country … They’ll start inconspicuously, and before you know it, they own the city, because the power they have is tremendous.”
The Venezuelan gang has recently been linked to multiple crimes across the country. “Tren de Aragua” is said to be responsible for the brutal beating of two officers from the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the infamous murder of 22-year-old Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.
Despite illegal immigration jeopardizing American lives, President Joe Biden has refused to address the issue.
