Over 100 suspected Tren de Aragua members participated in ‘riot’ at the border: Gov Abbott

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Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) revealed on Monday that more than 100 suspected members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua were identified within the massive group that stormed the southern border in El Paso, Texas, in March.

During a press conference in Houston, Abbott announced, in response to TDA’s expanded presence within the United States, a “comprehensive, statewide operation that will aggressively target the dangerous” group.

'Texas is aggressively going after these foreign terrorist organizations.'

As part of the mission, the governor designated the gang a terrorist organization. The Texas Department of Public Safety has been instructed to elevate TDA to a Tier 1 gang. The agency will also create a TDA Strike Team dedicated to rooting out the criminal organization. TDA members caught illegally smuggling people into the state could face a mandatory 10-year minimum sentence.

“The recent entry and expansion of the vicious Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, is a dangerous and deadly problem facing our state and nation,” Abbott remarked.

“Our goal is to defend Texas from the growing threat of the gang. We will not let them use Texas as a base of operations to terrorize our citizens. They have a target on their back, and we are going after them. Texas is the wrong state for them to try to do business in,” he said.

Earlier this year, law enforcement agents at the El Paso border were bombarded by a large group of unruly illegal aliens who attempted to push past them on their way into the U.S. Footage of the incident, captured by the New York Post, showed the group of primarily adult men tearing down the concertina wire near Gate 36, which is not a designated port of entry.

As a result of the incident, 211 individuals received riot participation charges. However, El Paso County Judge Ruben Morales dismissed the charges in May, Blaze News previously reported. The suspects were released and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody to face federal illegal entry charges.

An ICE spokesperson previously revealed to the Post that many of the suspects were released into the interior of the country, others were deported, and some remained in custody.

On Monday, Abbott revealed that suspected TDA members were believed to be a part of the incident.

He stated, “Earlier this year, more than 100 suspected TdA members were arrested after the riots at the El Paso border, when immigrants assaulted the Texas National Guard.”

“Texas is aggressively going after these foreign terrorist organizations of TdA,” Abbott added.

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