The Texas Department of Public Safety said that on Tuesday morning, more than 40 people thought to have ties to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua were arrested in Hays County, Texas.
“Recently, [FBI San Antonio] learnt of a possible meeting in Hays County of people who might be members or associates of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA).” “The [Texas Department of Public Safety’s] Special Response Team carried out a search warrant at a home in the area early Tuesday morning, which led to more than 40 arrests,” Texas DPS wrote on X.
“For more than a year, law enforcement — including DPS, FBI, federal, state and local partners — have been investigating suspected TdA members, and Tuesday’s operation is a result of this collaborative effort to make Texas communities safer,” the agency said.
Texas and the U.S. government have not yet sent charges because the case is “currently under investigation.” People who were there said that minors were also arrested and drugs were seized after the search order was carried out.
Some people in Texas government were happy about the arrests.
“Well done, fierce ones! There are federal task teams that fight gangs. A few weeks ago, I led a meeting where we talked about this very thing!” The post was made by Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas.
“Right outside your door. The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is happy to work with federal, state, and local law enforcement to fight TdA and keep Texans safe, according to a tweet from Nolen.
The Trump administration called the gang a foreign terrorist organisation. Since then, there have been big efforts to catch people who are thought to be part of the group. A lot of people thought to be members have been sent to a jail in El Salvador. This includes 17 people who were being held at Guantanamo Bay earlier this week.
“In order to keep the American people safe, @POTUS designated the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 as Foreign Terrorist Organisations,” Rubio wrote on X last week. “These criminals will no longer terrorise our communities and citizens.”
The Trump administration and U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg are still in a legal fight over how to use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 for some removals. Title 8 was used in the case of the 17 people, the White House told Fox News last week.
