Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua has embroiled Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris in a new controversy over the gang’s operations in Aurora, Colorado.
Tren de Aragua is Venezuela’s largest gang with an estimated 5,000 members and has recently been linked to numerous criminal investigations in the US.
The gang has been reportedly infiltrating the US through the southern border and is now suspected of having participated in over 100 criminal actions within the US.
One such case included a shooting of New York Police officers on June 3rd by an alleged Tren de Aragua member.
The shooter was reportedly detained after crossing the border illegally but was subsequently released into the US to await his asylum claim resolution.
Tren de Aragua has also been linked to crimes across the southwest, in states such as Colorado and Texas.
President Trump and conservatives have blamed the Biden-Harris administration’s flexible border policies as the infiltration of Tren de Aragua members to the US.
Trump recently emphasized Tren de Aragua’s Colorado presence by scheduling a rally in Aurora, Colorado, a city which has been reportedly overrun by the gang’s members.
In response, Harris’ campaign reportedly scheduled a Democrat party press conference with Aurora and Colorado Democrat lawmakers.
Trump has previously alleged Tren de Aragua members are being allowed to “terrorize” Colorado by the Biden-Harris administration.
“It’s like an invasion from within, and we’re going to have the largest deportation in the history of our country, and we’re going to start with Springfield and Aurora,” Trump said.
Referring to the claims regarding Tren de Aragua’s Aurora operations, Harris’ campaign has vowed to "hold Trump accountable for spreading misinformation about the Aurora community."
Despite Harris’ misinformation claims, even President Joe Biden recognized Tren de Aragua’s threat to the US by designating the Venezuelan gang as a transnational criminal organization (TCO) after it began operating in the US.
Republican lawmakers, such as US Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Representative Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) previously urged President Biden to designate the gang as a TCO.
TCO designation automatically leverages increased federal government resources against Tren de Aragua.
Amongst these are immediate sanctions against the gang and its members.
According to a US Treasury Department communique, all US possessions and corporations owned by Tren de Aragua and its members will be seized.
