A large number of illegal immigrants belonging to a vicious Venezuelan street gang were captured on the southern border this week, according to the top Border Patrol official, just as lawmakers sound the alarm about the gang.
Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens announced that 10 migrants affiliated with the Aragua Train were arrested throughout Texas.
“Keep an eye out for this gang,” the chief warned. “Their criminal activities pose a serious threat to our communities!”
BORDER STATE LEGISLATOR RAISES THE ALARM ABOUT THE ENTRY OF A BLOOD-THIRSTY VENEZUELAN GANG: 'THEY HAVE NO RULES'
This image shows two gang members captured on the southern border. (US Border Patrol)
He attached photos showing gang tattoos, including one that said “Salute me or shoot me.”
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has previously distributed intelligence bulletins to agents revealing the gang's tattoos and identifiers.
TdA is said to specialize in extortion, kidnapping, murder and sex trafficking. Federal authorities have been warning that the gang is trying to establish itself in the United States, where police already link it to organized crime. The FBI has also warned that the gang could ally itself with the bloodthirsty MS-13.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS
The gang, known as TdA, made headlines earlier this year when it was learned that the brother of Georgia student murder suspect Laken Riley had affiliations with the gang.
Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital on Thursday that the gang “has unleashed violence in Central and South America.”
“We are now seeing more people crossing the border illegally with ties to the Aragua Train. Until we get the border crisis under control, more and more bad actors will take advantage of loopholes in our immigration system,” he said. “Our Border Patrol agents are working in overdrive to protect our borders and keep criminals out, but the only way to truly solve this crisis is to crack down on the root cause of the problem: illegal immigration.”
He previously told Fox in an interview that the gang will be the “dominant transnational criminal organization in the entire United States. I have no doubt.”
OPINION: VENEZUELAN GANGS ARE IMPORTING NEXT LEVEL BRUTALITY AND FEAR INTO OUR STREETS
Meanwhile, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has called for the designation of TdA as a transnational criminal organization to allow for the freezing of sanctions on gang members and assets.
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“If no action is taken, there is a very real possibility that our cities will begin to look like the Latin American communities where the Tren de Aragua came to power: places where people don't go out at night, extortion is part of life everyday life and fear Brutality reigns in the streets, more than respect for law and order,” he warned.
