Texas Cracks Down On Violent Venezuelan Gang Tren De Aragua

September 20, 2024 | Austin, Texas | Press Release
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN, Texas – Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard continue to work together to secure the border; stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people into Texas; and prevent, detect, and interdict transnational criminal activity between ports of entry.

Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to over 520,600 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 47,000 criminal arrests, with more than 40,800 felony charges. In the fight against the fentanyl crisis, Texas law enforcement has seized over 543 million lethal doses of fentanyl—enough to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States and Mexico combined during this border mission.

Texas has decreased illegal crossings into the state by 87% due to our historic border security mission. Fewer illegal crossings into Texas means fewer migrants to transport to sanctuary cities. Since the start of Texas’ transportation program, the state has transported:

• Over 12,500 migrants to Washington, D.C. since April 2022
• Over 45,900 migrants to New York City since August 2022
• Over 36,900 migrants to Chicago since August 2022
• Over 3,400 migrants to Philadelphia since November 2022
• Over 19,200 migrants to Denver since May 2023
• Over 1,500 migrants to Los Angeles since June 2023

Operation Lone Star continues to fill the dangerous gaps created by the federal government’s refusal to secure the border. Every individual who is apprehended or arrested and every ounce of drugs seized would have otherwise made their way into communities across Texas and the nation due to open border policies.
 
WATCH: Governor Abbott: Texas Targets Violent Tren De Aragua Gang
On Tuesday, Governor Abbott joined Dana Perino on Fox News to discuss the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua (TdA), and Texas' new statewide operation targeting TdA to disrupt their criminal operations and deny their foothold in the state.

Governor Abbott noted that Texas will deploy every tool and resource available to ensure that the state is a hostile territory towards this violent gang. 

"If [Tren de Aragua] is unchecked, it will just expand terror and carnage that TdA imposes in whatever country they've been in," said Governor Abbott. "That's why Texas stepped up to be the first state in the United States to say that Tren de Aragua is not going to be not only unwelcome here, but we will be seeking them, we will find them, and we will put them behind bars."