The four members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) who took over an apartment in Aurora, Colorado, are illegal immigrants released into the country by the Biden administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed, as cited by Fox News.
Arrest
According to Fox, in July 2024, four Venezuelan nationals who are members of Tren de Aragua were arrested in Aurora, Colorado on suspicion of attempted murder. These arrests came following violent incidents near the Nome Street Apartments, a building that was allegedly occupied by armed gang members.
Notably, just a week ago, Colorado's Democratic governor, Jared Polis, dismissed a violent takeover of an Aurora apartment complex that began as early as November 2023 as a “fanciful event.”
The arrests are part of a broader investigation into gang-related activity in Aurora, where TdA apparently controls several apartment complexes.
The media noted that all four entered the United States illegally through the southern border between 2022 and 2023, raising questions about U.S. immigration enforcement policies and the ability of federal agencies to track and detain gang members entering the United States.
According to ICE, 24-year-old Jonady Jose Pacheco Chirinos, known as “Cookie,” was encountered by Border Patrol agents in the Del Rio Sector, Texas, in October 2022. Pacheco has since been released and served a summons to cite. Pacheco is currently charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon, among other offenses.
Cookie's brother, Jonati DeJesus Pacheco Chirinos, was arrested on charges including attempted murder. He was also arrested in October 2022 in the Del Rio Sector, Texas.
Both Nixon and Dixon Azuaje Perez were arrested by Border Patrol agents in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Aug. 22, 2023. They were given notices to appear and were released on parole in the United States pending the completion of their proceedings.
ICE also confirmed that all four are being held in custody pending further proceedings.
“The Invading Criminal Army”
Tren de Aragua is an international criminal organization with an estimated 5,000 members operating between Venezuela and the United States.
In a March 14 letter, Republican lawmakers urged President Joe Biden to address the TdA issue.
Tren de Aragua is a criminal army that has infiltrated from Venezuelan prisons and is spreading its brutality and chaos to U.S. cities and small towns. If left unchecked, they will unleash an unprecedented reign of terror that will mirror the destruction they have already wreaked on communities in Latin America, including Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. Tren de Aragua's activities span a wide range of atrocities, including murder, drug and human trafficking, sex crimes, extortion and kidnapping. It is clear that most state and local law enforcement agencies are not prepared to deal with the scale of this grave threat.
In July, the U.S. Treasury Department designated the gang for sanctions, designating it a transnational criminal organization that “has expanded its operations throughout the Western Hemisphere and is engaged in a wide range of criminal activities, including human trafficking, smuggling, gender-based violence, money laundering, and illegal drug trafficking.”
At the same time, the U.S. Department of State, in coordination with the Department of Justice (DOJ), announced a reward of up to $12 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of several Tren de Aragua leaders who have conspired or attempted to engage in transnational organized crime.
Recent reports suggest Aurora is not the only city under threat from TdA: the gang has presence in other major cities, including Dallas, Texas, and Chicago, Illinois, where its activities have caused similar fear and violence.
In recent months, members of Tren de Aragua have been linked to a series of violent crimes across the United States, including the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley in March and the shooting of two NYPD officers during an arrest in June.
According to law enforcement records and prosecutorial filings reported by Latino Times in late August, Tren de Aragua has been mentioned in more than 70 cases, including 58 cases identified by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Texas as gang members between fiscal year 2023 and May. The remaining cases are the result of victim complaints or arrests, implicating suspects with ties to the international crime organization.
How did they get here?
Members of Tren de Aragua have been crossing into the United States primarily through the southern border, using a route taken by many migrants fleeing Venezuela's economic collapse.
TdA, “Venezuela's most powerful domestic criminal organization,” according to a detailed report by think tank Insight Crime, exploits weaknesses in the U.S. immigration system, such as the practice of “catch and release.” After being detained at the border, many, like the Pacheco Chirinos and Azuaje Pérez brothers, are given notices to appear in immigration court, but are often released into the country until their trial date, which can be months or years away. This time allows them to set up operations or connect with existing criminal networks.
Upon arriving in America, gang members blend into immigrant communities and lie low, where they can operate undetected until they commit a crime and get caught.
According to Latin Times, Mexican authorities in Chihuahua and elsewhere remain on high alert as large numbers of suspected Tren de Aragua members continue to travel to the United States as part of a larger migration influx. Authorities report that gang members are frequently traveling through the corridor from El Paso, Texas, to Juarez, Mexico.
John Birch Society members work across the U.S. to stop illegal immigrants from entering the U.S. To learn how you can help, visit JBS.org.
