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Notorious Venezuelan gang has more than 100 members living in US

Reports of criminal presence across 15 states came after Donald Trump said city of Aurora had been turned into war zone

More than 100 members of a notorious Venezuelan prison gang are living across several states in the US, Department of Homeland Security figures show.
Of 600 migrants identified as having ties to the Tren de Aragua (TDA) gang, at least 100 are confirmed gang members who the department advised be placed on an FBI watchlist, officials told NBC News.
The remainder were either victims or witnesses.
TDA gang members were known to be active across at least 15 states, with a possible presence in eight others, the data showed.
The gang has risen to national prominence in recent weeks after Donald Trump repeatedly claimed its members had “taken over” apartment complexes in Aurora, Colorado, and suggested they were responsible for a series of armed robberies in New York’s Times Square.
Homeland Security officials began compiling the data on TDA in spring following a spike in gang crime across New York and other US cities involving shootings and sex trafficking.
In total, more than 100 people have been arrested on suspicion of committing crimes linked to TDA since October 2022, with a further 75 arrested for immigration violations, according to the data. More than 20 have been referred for federal prosecution.
“DHS has an ongoing operation to crack down on gang members through re-screening certain individuals previously encountered, in addition to the rigorous screening and vetting at the border,” a spokesman told NBC News.
“All individuals confirmed or suspected to be gang members are referred for criminal prosecution or detained and placed into expedited removal.”
Frank Figliuzzi, a former FBI assistant director for counterintelligence, told NBC News that the figure of 600 was “disturbingly low” and that the true numbers may be higher.
However, tracking the exact number who have crossed into the US is complicated by the fact that Venezuela does not share details of citizens’ criminal records with US officials.
The presence of the gang in some of America’s biggest cities has become a major talking point in the lead up to the election, with immigration ranking as one of the most important issues among Republican voters.
Speaking at a rally in Aurora earlier this month, Trump claimed the city had been turned into a “war zone” by members of TDA and announced plans to deport them by invoking the Illegal Aliens Act, a law from 1798 that allows the president to declare an “invasion” and deport non-citizens.
Mike Coffman, Aurora’s Republican mayor, has insisted Trump’s claims are “grossly exaggerated”.
Child members of the TDA gang are also alleged to have carried out armed robberies in Times Square and Central Park, with gang members as young as 11 avoiding prison because of their age, a New York Police Department official told the New York Post.
According to the data obtained by NBC News, fewer than 30 of the more than 600 migrants linked to TDA are in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.
An official told the news outlet that many of the 600 people have not been detained by ICE because they are in the custody of other law enforcement organisations.
Other possible reasons the official gave for the migrants not being detained included ICE not knowing where they are or their connections to TDA, or crimes not being confirmed, or that arresting them might interfere with ongoing criminal investigations.
The DHS was approached for comment.

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