Authorities in San Antonio, Texas arrested over a dozen individuals suspected of ties to the notorious Venezuelan gang "Tren de Aragua."
Dubbed "Operation Aurora," the raid targeted a large apartment complex on the city's north side near the airport and is the latest case of Texas authorities' crackdown on the organization, which governor Abbott declared a foreign terrorist group in mid-September.
The complex, with has 678 units, had become a focal point for criminal activity, authorities said. Gang members were allegedly taking advantage of the migrant population by luring them into the complex with promises of housing, including fake leases, according to News 4 San Antonio.
As crime and vandalism escalated, long-term residents began moving out, creating more vacancies for the gang to exploit. John Barker, owner of the complex, said that around 250 units had been broken into as the gang's influence grew over the past year.
The San Antonio Police Department (SAPD), working alongside the Texas Department of Public Safety, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and other Texas Anti-Gang Unit members, had been investigating the situation for months. Overall they inspected nearly 300 vacant apartments suspected of being used by Tren de Aragua members. Nineteen of the 20 people detained during the operation are facing charges.
Homeland Security agents have placed ICE detainers on those arrested as part of the broader effort to curb the gang's influence. Tren de Aragua recently garnered nationwide attention after Donald Trump claimed during the first and only presidential debate that the gang had taken over residency complexes in the town of Aurora, Colorado. And even though local authorities debunked the former president's claim, they did however acknowledge their impact as a force in the city.
American law enforcement agencies have grown increasingly concerned about the risk posed by the Venezuelan-born gang as the group's violent activities spread across the western hemisphere and Venezuela's current crisis threatens to push thousands of migrants out of the South American country.
Tren de Aragua gang originated more than a decade ago in a notorious Venezuelan prison. Over time, the group expanded its operations, exploiting Venezuela's economic collapse and the mass migration of Venezuelans to other parts of Latin America and the U.S.
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