U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on June 27 that 2,711 alleged members of the gang Tren de Aragua (TDA) have been arrested in the United States since the beginning of the year.
TDA is a violent criminal organization that originated in Venezuela and has since spread throughout the United States and Latin America. It is engaged in the business of murder for hire, protection rackets, kidnapping, prostitution, theft, and trafficking of both narcotics and women. TDA often recruits young Hispanic men as its members; in the United States, a number of illegal immigrants are members of the group.
During the 2024 presidential election, then-candidate and former President Donald Trump vowed to target gangs such as TDA and Mara Salvatrucha (also known as “MS-13”). Since taking office, Trump has designated such groups as foreign terrorist organizations, which purportedly gives the U.S. government greater powers to apprehend their members within the United States and deport them….