Greg Abbott

Opening Press Statement Announcing New Border Security Measures Against Tren de Aragua

delivered 16 September 2024, Houston, Texas

[AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text version below transcribed directly from audio]

We're here today to talk about a dangerous, maybe even a deadly threat facing both our state as well as our country. It's the recent entry and expansion of the vicious Venezuela gang known as Tren de Aragua ["Train of Aragua"] also known as "TdA."  Officials are -- are concerned about what is going on with TdA. Its recent expansion and entry of this gang could destabilize public safety in the United States as well as in the state of Texas. For us, in law enforcement across the state, our top priority is the security and the safety of our fellow Texans. This is a nonpartisan, bipartisan issue that everybody agrees upon that we need to aggressively address this threatening challenge.

TdA is characterized as "MS13 on steroids." TdA is the largest criminal organization in Venezuela. it started as a prison gang in the state of Aragua, Venezuela and has now expanded to a transnational criminal organization. Now, they are dominating the international flow of migrants from South America through Mexico into the United States.

I'm not seeing that one up here [gestures toward poster-sized map images]. Oh...if you look at two maps over, two charts over from me that shows South America to the U.S. -- that shows the current status of the flow and operation of TdA across South America, Central America, and now North America.

TdA is notorious for their brutal violence and murder, and their kidnapping, extortion, bribery, and trafficking of drugs, weapons, and even humans. They've been linked to more than 100 law enforcement investigations across the country. They were involved in the brutal attack and assault upon New York Police Department law enforcement officers. Reports have also linked TdA to the murder of Lincoln Riley. Intelligence report[s] show TdA has been given the green light to shoot law enforce officers in the United States.

In other countries infiltrated by TdA, history has shown they first flood the countries with military age Venezuelan men. Next, they begin to establish a base of operations. Finally, TdA begins a spree of violent and blood -- bloody criminal activity. We've now seen the beginnings of these operations in the state of Texas.

The second-to-last map that you see on your left hand side are locations in the state of Texas where we have identified either known or suspected TdA -- TdA activity in the state of Texas. Since 2021, more than 3,000 illegal immigrants from Venezuela have been arrested in Texas, and another more than 200 are wanted.

There is currently no TdA database to be able to verify if these arrests are of TdA members or non-TdA members. So, what the Texas Department of Public Safety is working on as well as other law enforcement -- they're working to create a database from scratch. They are doing that by watching for suspected TdA activity that matches the known methods of operation of confirmed TdA activity in other countries. We will build that database by looking at common traits shared by TdA.

You see on a chart right here some of those characteristics. They include tattoos, scars, marks, types of crime, methods of operation.

Now importantly, today I'm announcing what Texas is doing to stop the spread of TdA in our state. I ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to launch a statewide operation, directly targeting TdA, to deter and to disrupt their criminal operations in Texas.

DPS is collaborating with federal and local law enforcement through the Texas anti-gang centers. When I became governor of Texas there was one anti-gang center to crack down on gang activity in our state. Today, there are now nine anti-gang centers across the state in Dallas-Fort Worth, El Paso, Houston, Laredo, Lubbock, McAllen, San Antonio, Tyler, and Waco.

You will see those locations on this map over here.

Also, I signed laws that provide more than a hundred million dollars to support these anti-gang centers over just the next two years. But to more directly target TdA, I directed DPS to elevate TdA to a Tier 1 gang, the worst of the worst, ensuring that DPS deploys the resources that are needed to corral¹ this growing menace.

Already, we're making arrest[s] of suspected TdA members. For example, recently El Paso residents were concerned about criminal activity at the Gateway Hotel in El Paso. In the last few months, DPS special agents worked with the El Paso Police Department gang units to arrest criminal activity at and around El Paso's Gateway Hotel. More than 20 arrests were made, many of whom were suspected TdA members, for charges that include human smuggling, prostitution, possession of illegal drugs, as well as other crimes. And now the Gateway Hotel in El Paso has been shut down. And earlier this year, more than a hundred suspected TdA members were arrested after the riots at the El Paso border when immigrants assaulted the Texas National Guard.

Also today, I am officially declaring TdA a Foreign Terrorist Organization. We will bring the full weight of the government against the TdA by declaring TdA a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Texas will use the courts to halt their operations; use civil asset forfeiture to take their property; use enhanced criminal penalties to keep them in jail behind bars for longer periods of time.

At this time I'm going to sign that Proclamation.

[Proclamation signed]

Texas is aggressively going after these Foreign Terrorist Organizations of TdA. Texas will also use a newly passed law in our state to impose a mandatory minimum of at least 10 years behind bars against TdA gang members who smuggle people into Texas.

Also, I directed the DPS to create a new TdA strike team made of highway patrol officers, DPS special agents, Texas Rangers, SWAT teams, including aircraft helicopters and drones, K9 teams, and intelligence units. These strike teams will collaborate with Texas anti-gang center law enforcement officers to surge resources to areas where known or suspected TdA activity is taking place. Together, they will seek to identify and arrest TdA gang members.

Our goal, among law enforcement in the state of Texas, is to defend our state from the growing threat of TdA. We are not going to allow them to use Texas as a base of operations to terrorize our citizens. Texas is a law and order state, and I will ensure that law enforcement has every tool they need to keep our community safe.

Page Updated: 9/18/24

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