The Biden administration has designated the Venezuelan migrant gang Tren de Aragua as a transnational criminal organization following requests from Republicans who say the group’s members have penetrated the southern border.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced Thursday that it had sanctioned Tren de Aragua, a cross-border crime ring that has been cited in connection to brutal crimes against U.S. citizens by illegal immigrants released at the border into the country under President Joe Biden’s administration.
The designation comes 3 1/2 years into a border crisis that began when Biden took office as the White House attempts to focus more on immigration ahead of the November election. In that time, more than 9 million non-U.S. citizens have been encountered at the nation’s borders — more than any two-term president.
“Today’s designation of Tren de Aragua as a significant Transnational Criminal Organization underscores the escalating threat it poses to American communities,” Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement. “As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to target Transnational Criminal Organizations, we will deploy all tools and authorities against organizations like Tren de Aragua that prey on vulnerable populations to generate revenue, engage in a range of criminal activities across borders, and abuse the U.S. financial system.”
Tren de Aragua is said to be as serious a threat as the Salvadoran gang MS-13 and is quietly operating and gaining a foothold in communities across the country.
The corporation-size criminal group took advantage of the border crisis and has been able to push members into the United States and beef up its presence in cities nationwide where law enforcement and elected officials are gravely concerned about the type of violence they are seeing, particularly after one murder that has been in the spotlight.
The Washington Examiner reported in May 2023 while visiting the border in El Paso, Texas, that Venezuelan gang members were living on the street downtown after being released into the community from the border, according to federal law enforcement officials.
Since Biden took office in January 2021, nearly 700,000 citizens of Venezuela have been encountered at the southern border compared to fewer than 200 Venezuelans encountered each month at the end of the Trump administration.
In March, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), and Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) led seven senators and 16 representatives in a letter to the White House that demanded the Biden administration immediately declare the South American gang a transnational criminal organization. The move came a few weeks after one of its reported members was arrested on suspicion of the kidnapping and murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.
“Heinous crimes committed by the Tren de Aragua, like the rapes of multiple children and the murders of retired police officer José Luis Sánchez Valera and nursing student Laken Riley, must stop,” the 23 lawmakers wrote in the letter. “By designating the Tren de Aragua as a TCO, we will send a clear message that its reign of terror will not be tolerated, and that we will stand united in our resolve to protect our communities from the scourge of transnational organized crime.”
The lawmakers described Tren de Aragua as an “invading criminal army from a prison in Venezuela.”
Illegal immigrants arrested at the southern border are not admitted if they have a known gang affiliation. Border Patrol agents track the number of illegal immigrants who cross the border and are affiliated with the 45 gangs listed on its website. However, Tren de Aragua is not listed on the government website.
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The designation will allow the Treasury Department to block any affiliates of Tren de Aragua from using U.S. financial networks, such as banks or money transfer systems.
The White House National Security Council defines transnational criminal organizations as groups that commit violence or other acts that are likely to intimidate, or make actual or implicit threats to do so; attempt to gain influence in government, politics, and commerce through corrupt as well as legitimate means; and have economic gain as their primary goal, not only from patently illegal activities but also from investment in legitimate businesses.