(Headline USA) Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced this week that his state is designating a violent Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, as a terrorist organization.
“We will bring the full weight of the government against the [Tren de Aragua],” Abbott said. “By declaring TdA a foreign terrorist organization, Texas will use the courts to halt their operations, use civil asset forfeiture to take the property and use enhanced criminal penalties to keep them in jail behind bars for longer periods of time.”
Texas will also establish a database to verify whether illegal immigrants who are arrested in the state are a part of TdA.
“Our goal among law enforcement in the state of Texas is to defend our state from the growing threat of TdA,” he said in a statement. “We are not going to allow them to use Texas as a base of operations to terrorize our citizens. Texas is a law and order state, and I will ensure that law enforcement has every tool they need to keep our community safe.”
Abbott’s designation of TdA as a foreign terrorist organization also allows the state to increase penalties for gang members charged with crimes.
The Biden administration has designated TdA as a transnational criminal organization but not a foreign terrorist organization. Biden officials have also claimed they are treating TdA as a priority, especially in light of reports that the gang has given its members the “green light” to fire on or attack law enforcement.
However, Abbott said Texas has largely had to take steps on its own to crack down on the gang’s activity.
Just last week, for example, Texas authorities shut down a hotel in El Paso after discovering TdA was using it as a base for criminal activity.
“In the last few months, DPS special agents worked with the El Paso Police Department gang units to arrest criminal activity at and around El Paso’s Gateway Hotel,” Abbott said. “More than 20 arrests were made, many of whom were suspected TdA members for charges that include human smuggling, prostitution, possession of illegal drugs, as well as other crimes.”
The gang notoriously took over an entire apartment complex in the city of Aurora, Colorado, holding tenants hostage after forcing out the actual landlords.
