On New Year's Eve, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers in Val Verde County arrested four individuals believed to be part of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as they tried to cross the border into Texas, Governor Greg Abbott's office announced. This group was among 22 people detected attempting an illegal border crossing.
11 individuals were taken into custody for criminal trespass, among which nine were Venezuelan nationals, these persons claimed that their destinations were cities within Texas such as San Antonio, Irving, and Corsicana, according to FOX 7 Austin. Interviews conducted, and tattoos observed by agents led to the belief that four of the men were members of the notorious Tren de Aragua gang. Moreover, the agents' investigation into the suspects' cellphones found evidence, such as their social media apps that reportedly verified their gang affiliations.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Segundo Ocando-Mejia, 39; Pedro Luis Salazar-Cuervo, 27; Antonio Joe Urruttia-Rojas, 18; and Levi Jesus Urrutia-Blanco, 18. "Ocando-Mejia had tattoos that may indicate he "may hold rank or leadership within the gang," the Governor's office suggested, according to FOX 7 Austin.
Tren de Aragua is a gang that, according to nonprofit organization InSight Crime, originated in a Venezuelan prison and has extended its reach to other South American countries since 2018, mainly through migrant smuggling operations. They've been recently tagged as a foreign terrorist organization and targeted by Texas authorities, which lead to them establishing a TdA strike team focused on apprehending gang members within the state. The Public Safety Office is even offering a reward up to $5,000 for information that leads to the identification and arrest of gang members involved in crimes as reported by FOX 26 Houston.
