At a press conference on Monday, Governor Greg Abbott (R) officially designated the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as a “foreign terrorist organization.”
This action was taken in response to the violent crossing of the border by over 100 members of the gang earlier this year.
This year, Tren de Aragua has been the subject of numerous headlines following allegations that gang members seized control of an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, and a historic hotel in downtown El Paso.
According to authorities, the organization is notorious for engaging in violent unlawful activities, such as extortion, drug trafficking, and murder.
“The recent entry and expansion of the vicious Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, is a dangerous and deadly problem facing our state and nation,” Abbott declared.
The governor also declared a statewide operation to vigorously pursue the Venezuelan gang.
“Our goal is to defend Texas from the growing threat of the gang. We will not let them use Texas as a base of operations to terrorize our citizens. They have a target on their back, and we are going after them. Texas is the wrong state for them to try to do business in,” he continued.
Tren de Aragua members who smuggle individuals into Texas would be subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years under Texas’ plan.
Additionally, a database would be established to monitor gang members.
The governor also disclosed that the group that violently forced their way across the frontier in March consisted of over 100 suspected gang members.
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