A Venezuelan suspected of being a member of the Tren de Aragua gang has been arrested in President-elect Trump’s backyard. Palm Beach, FLThis is what a senior US Border Patrol (USBP) official said.
Jeffrey Dinise, the lead patrol officer for the USBP Miami Sector, announced the arrest in a social media post on Tuesday.
“US Border Patrol agents arrested a Venezuelan identified as a Tren de Aragua gang member,” Dinise wrote on X. “He has a criminal record for assault with a deadly weapon. Our officers continue to protect our communities.”
EXPECTED TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBER IN TEXAS CHARGED WITH MURDER AND KIDNAPPING
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional information about the arrest.
The arrest took place in Palm Beach, Florida, where Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence is located.
Researchers have traced the origins of Tren de Aragua, which translates to “Train of Aragua,” to the Tocoron Prison in Venezuela’s Aragua State sometime between 2013 and 2015.
The violent one gangthat has terrorized neighborhoods across the country is now active in 16 states, according to a new memo from the Department of Homeland Security cited by the New York Post. The gang has reportedly taken advantage of a lax southern border under the Biden-Harris administration, with many foot soldiers swarming into unsuspecting American communities.
These images from a Customs and Border Protection intelligence bulletin show tattoos and identification information for Tren De Aragua. (ICE)
The gang is involved in all kinds of violent crimes, including murders, shooting police officers, assaults, robberies and smuggling weapons into migrant shelters. It is also said to be involved in drug trafficking and the sex trafficking of migrant women in New York City, and armed members of the gang have been arrested in some states. take over apartment buildings.
TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS ARRESTED IN NEW YORK CITY
This image from a social media video shows suspected juvenile Tren de Aragua members from the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City, allegedly attacking nearby Times Square in a series of robberies. (Obtained by New York Post)
And now, according to a New York Post According to the report, the gang operates in an area that includes half the US population.
Next to New York CityColorado and Texas, the gang has a foothold in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee and Wisconsin, and most recently in Washington, D.C., Virginia, Montana and Wyoming, according to the report citing a Homeland Security memo.
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The Homeland Security memo, titled “Expansion of Tren de Aragua (TdA) Across the United States Presents Challenges for Law Enforcement,” said the gang has increased its “violent tendencies” as it spreads, the report said.
Elizabeth Heckman and Adam Shaw of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
