Tren de Aragua Spreads to a Seventeenth State - And It's a Surprising One

Members of Tren de Aragua, the violent Venezuelan prison gang, have successfully embedded themselves within the record wave of migrants crossing America’s southern border. The open-borders policies of the Biden administration have allowed this criminal organization to spread its influence to 17 states, including rural and sparsely populated areas that used to not have to worry about the idea of a foreign gang taking root.
The gang’s latest presence is in West Fargo, North Dakota, a town of just 40,000 residents. That’s where local police recently arrested Henry Theis, a Venezuelan national and suspected Tren de Aragua member, during a routine traffic stop for a broken taillight. Officers found Theis in possession of $24,000 in cash allegedly stolen from a nearby bank, alongside two facemasks, black latex gloves, wires and a computer keyboard. He later confessed to participating in an ATM hacking operation.
West Fargo Police Chief Pete Neilsen confirmed the suspect is an illegal alien, and didn’t hold back in criticizing the federal government for its failure to act. “When you have someone that comes into your community and steals $150,000, that’s an illegal alien, and then leaves. One would think that the feds would step in and say, ‘You know, I’m going to take this one,’” Neilsen said.
Theis’ case is a textbook example of the failures of the Biden administration. He initially crossed into the U.S. illegally through El Paso, Texas, where he was taken into custody but promptly released with a court date, due to a lack of detention space—something that has become all too common under the current administration. Allowing Theis to wander freely in the country resulted in him later being arrested for DWI in Texas. He was released from custody without being turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Eventually, he made it to North Dakota.
According to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) memo, Tren de Aragua has established footholds in Washington, D.C., Virginia, Montana, Wyoming, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. Gang members have been linked to heinous crimes, including the murder of nursing student Laken Riley in Georgia and the alleged brutal rape and killing of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Texas.
The incoming Trump administration has pledged to prioritize the deportation of criminal illegal aliens, and Tren de Aragua members should be among the first targets. Tom Homan, Trump’s pick for border czar, has vowed to ramp up interior enforcement and secure America’s borders. By focusing on removing dangerous criminals like Tren de Aragua members, the administration can bring safety and security back to communities across the nation.
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