ICE Aims at Over 100 Tren de Aragua Gang Members in Colorado

February 6, 2025 TruthUSA

Raids conducted on Wednesday enhance the ongoing efforts to combat Tren de Aragua.

On Wednesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) initiated a significant crackdown in Aurora, Colorado, detaining numerous illegal immigrant affiliates of the violent transnational gang Tren de Aragua, which has taken control of several apartment complexes and instilled fear among local inhabitants.

ICE announced in a social media post on February 5 that the operation in Aurora aimed to arrest and detain over 100 members of the Tren de Aragua gang.

“As long as there are criminals in our streets, we will continue to arrest them and ensure the safety of our communities,” stated ICE Acting Director Caleb Vitello during a visit to one of the apartment buildings involved in the operation.

This raid, executed in collaboration with the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and various other agencies, represents the latest federal initiative targeting Tren de Aragua members engaged in unlawful activities within the United States.

Last year, reports surfaced indicating that members of the Tren de Aragua gang—originating from Venezuelan prisons—had overtaken multiple apartment buildings in Aurora, a suburb of Denver, and terrorized local residents through threats of violence and intimidation. Additionally, the gang has been alleged to engage in extortion, illegal firearm possession, and sexual exploitation of minors, often targeting vulnerable immigrant communities, particularly Venezuelans.

In response to the public outcry regarding the gang’s alarming behavior, President Donald Trump promised to initiate “Operation Aurora” aimed at dismantling Tren de Aragua along with all “migrant criminal networks active on American soil.”

“We will deploy elite teams from ICE, Border Patrol, and federal law enforcement to track down, arrest, and deport every last illegal alien gang member until not one remains in this country,” Trump proclaimed at an October 2024 rally in Aurora.

Wednesday’s operations are a continuation of the intensified campaign against Tren de Aragua. From January 21 to February 3, ICE apprehended 194 members of the gang nationwide, all of whom were in the U.S. illegally, as reported by the White House.

“President Donald Trump committed to the American people that he would apprehend and deport members of the brutal Tren de Aragua gang, and he is delivering on that promise,” stated White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. “Illegal immigrant criminal organizations like Tren de Aragua will no longer terrorize American neighborhoods under President Trump’s administration.”

Leavitt confirmed that all illegal immigrant members of the Tren de Aragua gang would be deported. On February 5, the Pentagon announced that the first military flight carrying 10 “high-threat” members of the Venezuelan gang had been relocated to Guantanamo Bay after Trump directed the facility to prepare for up to 30,000 illegal immigrants.

The Guantanamo Bay military prison was established in 2002 under President George W. Bush to detain foreign suspects associated with terrorism following the events of September 11.

Michael Banks, chief of U.S. Border Patrol, reported to Fox News on February 6 that there has been an almost 90% drop in illegal border crossings since Trump took office, while criminal prosecutions of those captured have increased by nearly 52%.

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