Venezuelan Gang Tren de Aragua Controls Texas Complexes – Is Your City Next?

At least four large apartment complexes in San Antonio, Texas, have reportedly fallen under the control of the violent Venezuelan prison gang, Tren de Aragua (TdA). This gang, labeled the "epitome of evil," is known for drug trafficking, child smuggling, and other criminal activities as its members illegally cross the open U.S.-Mexico border.

Over the past year, as the election season has progressed, TdA is said to have "unleashed a wave of crime" across the U.S., with operations spreading from Miami to Texas, Denver, and New York, according to reports from British media.

Previous reports of TdA seizing hotels in Aurora, Colorado, were downplayed by some media figures, including ABC News' Martha Raddatz. However, others warn that TdA is tearing apart the country as Election Day approaches.

Just last week, a "small army" of police officers raided one of the San Antonio apartment complexes targeted by TdA. Authorities arrested 19 individuals, including four TdA gang members who had been living in the complex for several months before their capture.

At the Palatia Apartments, the TdA gang members allegedly squatted in vacant units, either renting them out to other migrants or using them as bases for dealing drugs and operating prostitution rings involving women and children. This incident is part of a larger trend, with several other apartment complexes in Texas also being taken over by the gang. Law enforcement responded with helicopters and drones during early morning raids to arrest the offenders.

One resident at Palatia described the intense police operation: "Every department was here. They were wearing helmets and body armor. My husband came outside in his boxers and had a rifle pointed at him. They asked him where he was from, and he said Pennsylvania. That was the end of that."

Police searched over 300 units at Palatia before apprehending the suspects. One of the four gang members captured is a confirmed "enforcer" for TdA, which now reportedly has 15 members in the U.S. illegally.

Residents described how these gang members, often identified by their gang tattoos or red clothing, trafficked women and children, forcing them into prostitution. A former Colorado ICE director, John Fabbricatore, explained that prostitution is a major revenue source for the gang, attracting clients to whom they then sell drugs. "If you go into these apartments, you'll see these young girls. It's bad," he said.

The gang is known for blending in with asylum-seekers and exploiting them, having initially gained notoriety by helping Venezuelans escape the regime of Nicolás Maduro, only to exploit them along the way.