First time with Fox: Top law enforcement officials in Tennessee warn that a Venezuelan extremist gang, Tren de Aragua, is operating in the state and conducting human trafficking rings. It’s the latest sign of the bloodthirsty gang’s growing footprint.
“In the past few months We have seen a resurgence of intelligence that tells us they are operating in our state. They are operating in a human trafficking ring,” said David Rauch, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Rausch expressed his opinion about “Turn up the volume with Marsha.” podcast with Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., a video shared with Fox News Digital. Blackburn noted the recent arrest of Tren de Aragua fugitive from Venezuela, who has Violent Crime History in Tennessee
EX-ICE TREN DE ARAGUA’S OFFICIAL WARNING HAS GROWN FASTER INSIDE US THAN MURDERING Rival GANG: ‘TAKE THEM OUT NOW’
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., talks with TBI Director Rausch on the “Unmuted” podcast. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Tren de Aragua is believed to have started in Tocoron Prison in the Venezuelan state of Aragua. and has since expanded to Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and the United States.
It is believed that these crimes have increased exponentially with the flow of Venezuelan immigrants into the United States. Many crimes last year were linked to TdA in states such as Georgia, Illinois, Texas, Colorado and New York.
Rausch said that in 2022 his officers first saw the gang in Tennessee and made arrests in 2023, and as time went on. They met with victims who provided additional intelligence about the gang’s operations in Tennessee and elsewhere across the United States. He told Blackburn that they had apparently briefly left the state but had returned.
“What they do is They brought these bitches Venezuelan bitch enters And they brought them into the country. They smuggle them. and bring them into the country Some of them were imported. Take advantage of our system They come in and claim they are fleeing the dictatorship and the challenges that exist in Venezuela,” he said.
A new report warns the footprints of bloodthirsty Venezuelan gangs will still be among us. ‘For decades’
Rausch said his agency has conducted two major operations identifying TdA members in the Nashville area, however, he cautions about the extent of their presence. and said it was not as severe as in other states, such as Colorado.
“Last when we revealed that we knew they were in Tennessee and they were operating in our major cities which caused a lot of challenges. A lot of people aren’t happy about that. They immediately thought, ‘This is TDA taking over an apartment complex. As we’ve seen in other cities, we’re not there yet. But we don’t want to get there,” he said.
These images from CBP’s intelligence board show Tren De Aragua’s tattoo and identifiers. Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced a $5,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of TdA members at Know or suspect (ice)
Rausch warns that gangs typically start with human trafficking and move on to other crimes, such as retail organized crime and robbery. before entering the drug trade and began to use more violence against other trading groups.
“We certainly don’t want to see this anywhere in the country. But my primary responsibility is in Tennessee. So we don’t want that to happen. So I’m alerting you that we know they’re operating a human trafficking operation here. “We want to stop them at this point, which we can do now,” he said.
Click here for more information on the border security crisis.
Blackburn asks about solution to crisis and mentions her own laws to promote Cooperation with local law enforcement with the central government when criminals are found illegally entering the country
“When someone commits a crime in your country. And they are in the country illegally. Of course you have to deport them,” Blackburn said.
Rauch also noted that sending migrants back to their country of origin can be difficult when they do not accept them.
“What do we do with these people? We will lock them up here in US prisons. Until that situation arises in whatever country they come from we cannot send them back. And can we understand that? What is the answer to that?” he asked.
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The conversation comes ahead of what is expected to be a historic deportation operation by the incoming Trump administration. Trump this week announced additional options for his border security team. This includes former Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott as his choice to lead Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
During the presidential election campaign Trump says he intends to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to target and dismantle.”all illegal immigrants criminal networks operating on American soil.”
