Staff Reports
According to recent reporting from The Center Square, despite their illegal entry from Texas, members of the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua have been caught across the country. This gang has a notorious reputation for carrying out crimes like kidnappings for ransom money, drug and weapon trafficking, money laundering, and murder. Republicans from Florida, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Maria Elvira Salazar, have urged the president to formally designate Tren de Aragua as a transnational criminal organization. They have cautioned that if their actions go unchecked, they could unleash terror in the United States akin to what they have done in nations such as Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru.
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Federal or municipal policies have occasionally blocked deportation, despite efforts by immigration authorities to apprehend and deport members of Tren de Aragua. For instance, in October 2023, Johan Jose Cardenas Silva—who was wanted by Peruvian police for a number of crimes—was freed from an ICE detention facility. Even after an immigration judge ordered his removal from the United States, he was freed and continued to commit crimes. He wasn't placed in ICE detention awaiting removal procedures until after more arrests and convictions.
Adelvis Rodriguez-Carmona, another gang member, was also taken into custody in Chicago after being previously held in the vicinity of Eagle Pass, Texas, in 2022. Even though an immigration judge issued a final order for his removal in absentia, he was later arrested in Illinois for several charges and is being held while immigration removal proceedings are ongoing.
The possible risks that members of Tren de Aragua pose to public safety have been brought to light by their conduct in the United States. Several legal obstacles have made it difficult to stop their illegal activity, letting them to carry on committing crimes and avoiding deportation. The senators have underlined that the United States must put its citizens' safety and security first and refrain from allowing its cities to serve as hubs for these types of criminal groups.
