The New York Post published an in depth look at how the once confined to the brutal Venezuelan prison system, the notorious Tren de Aragua gang has transformed into a multinational crime syndicate which is wreaking havoc across the United States. The gang has embedded itself within the wave of migrants crossing the southern border, and is currently the subject of over 100 police investigations nationwide. From drug dealing to human trafficking, Tren de Aragua’s operations have expanded from the urban centers of New York and Chicago to Florida’s beaches and even once-quiet Middle American communities.
Initially, the organized presence of Tren de Aragua at the US-Mexico border was not prominent, according to a Texas law enforcement source. However, the gang has since become highly organized, coordinating smuggling operations and human trafficking activities. Their influence is growing rapidly, and they have begun to dominate not only illegal entry points but also locations deep within the United States.
“They’ve definitely gotten their operations organized to facilitate movement, human trafficking, and illegal migration,” one law enforcement official stated. “They’re taking over hotels, apartment complexes — that’s their modus operandi. They come in and take over.”
Federal officials have described Tren de Aragua as “MS-13 on steroids,” referring to the infamous Salvadoran gang known for its extreme violence. The Tren’s tentacles have spread rapidly across the nation, making inroads into various criminal markets, especially drug and gun trafficking, according to the New York Post.
In Chicago, Tren de Aragua gang member Jean Franco Torres-Roman, 21, was apprehended while trying to hide a firearm after a shooting. Despite his arrest, a Cook County judge released him, allowing him to flee to Denver, where he terrorized workers at a jewelry store before stealing valuable merchandise. The saga of Torres-Roman is just one example of how the gang has been able to evade law enforcement due to sanctuary city policies, which complicate cooperation between local police and federal immigration authorities.
In Denver, four Venezuelan migrants connected to Tren de Aragua were indicted for violent armed robbery, marking the spread of the gang’s criminal activities into other parts of the country. These arrests are just the tip of the iceberg, as the gang has managed to recruit members within migrant shelters funded by taxpayer money.
The gang’s violent footprint extends far beyond drug trafficking. In Athens, Georgia, a Tren member named Jose Ibarra was charged with the gruesome murder of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley. Ibarra, who crossed into the US in September 2022, had previously been arrested and released in New York. The murder shocked the quiet Georgia town and raised alarms about how quickly the gang has expanded its reach.
In Miami, Tren killer Yurwin Salazar Maita was charged with the murder of a retired Venezuelan police officer, Jose Luis Sanchez, who was lured to his death by prostitutes working for the gang. Sanchez’s body was found bound and gagged, a hallmark of the gang’s ruthless modus operandi.
Even small, tranquil towns are not immune to the gang’s violence. In Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, Tren member Alejandro Jose Coronel Zarate was arrested for sexually and physically assaulting a woman and her daughter over a prolonged period. This shocking crime illustrated that no corner of the country is safe from the gang’s predatory violence.
One of the greatest challenges law enforcement faces in combating Tren de Aragua is the reluctance of some sanctuary cities and states to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. A source from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) explained that local police in these areas often do not share crucial information about criminal gang members with immigration authorities, leading to missed opportunities to detain or deport dangerous individuals.
“Sanctuary states and cities do not share any information with immigration authorities,” the source said. “Local police department arrests don’t lead to detainers from ICE, which in turn do not lead to arrests by ICE. They do not contact us when they find out the subject is possibly illegal.”
This lack of cooperation allows gang members like Torres-Roman to slip through the cracks of the criminal justice system and continue their violent rampages in other states.
Tren de Aragua’s business model revolves around more than just drug trafficking. They are heavily involved in prostitution and human trafficking, often targeting vulnerable migrants. In some Denver suburbs, the gang has transformed quiet residential areas into war zones, even taking over entire apartment buildings and forcing legal tenants to flee.
As the US border has become more porous, operatives of Tren de Aragua have taken advantage, infiltrating the country alongside millions of Venezuelans fleeing the harsh regime of Nicolas Maduro. Once inside the US, the gang quickly began recruiting new members, even from within migrant shelters. These recruits have become instrumental in the gang’s criminal operations, which now include moped-riding criminals in major cities such as New York.
