Venezuelan Gang Tren de Aragua Expands Operations Across 17 U.S. States

Recent arrests in Florida and North Dakota highlight the violent gang’s growing presence and criminal activities in American communities.

Tren de Aragua, a violent Venezuelan prison gang, now operates in 17 U.S. states, according to a Homeland Security memo.
A suspected gang member was arrested in Palm Beach, Florida, near President-elect Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, with a criminal record for assault with a deadly weapon.
In North Dakota, authorities arrested a suspected gang member involved in a $100,000 ATM theft scheme, marking the gang’s reach into one of the least-populated U.S. states.
The gang has been linked to violent crimes, including murders, kidnappings, and armed takeovers of apartment complexes in states like Colorado and Texas.
Officials attribute the gang’s rapid growth in the U.S. to exploitation of border vulnerabilities, posing significant challenges for law enforcement nationwide.