'Big threat': NYPD targets bloodthirsty Venezuelan gang as it forms base in sanctuary city

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NYPD targeting Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua

Fox News’ Bryan Llenas on TdAs presence in New York City and involvement with crimes including drugs, guns and human trafficking.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) says it is targeting the bloodthirsty Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA), which has set up operations in the Big Apple amid a surge of migration into the sanctuary city and as the gang establishes a presence throughout the U.S.

The TdA is a violent street gang believed to have originated in Venezuelan prisons and moved north over the last decade. However, its reputation within the U.S. has grown this year, in part, due to a number of high-profile crimes linked to the gang, with many believed to have arrived by coming across the southern border as part of the sharp increase in migration in recent years.

Now, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell says TdA is actively recruiting gang members in migrant shelters where guns and drugs have been smuggled inside via food cartons. 

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"Do we believe there's guns in the shelters that have a gang affiliation? Absolutely. Do we believe that they were being smuggled in? Absolutely," he told Fox News.

These images from a CBP intelligence bulletin, show tattoos and identifiers for Tren De Aragua. (ICE)

The NYPD says there are hundreds of gang associates citywide, and they are not afraid to shoot at police. Earlier this year, a suspected gang member shot and wounded two police officers while another fired at an officer while shoplifting.

"They're a big threat to the city. We're not new to gangs or crews in the city. So this is our newest crew. And what's alarming about this crew is that their conspiracy to commit crimes touches a lot of areas, from retail theft to extortion to robberies to human trafficking, and the worst of the worst, they've shot two of our cops," he said.

New York City is also a sanctuary city, which restricts police from co-operation with federal law enforcement. The city is one of a number of sanctuary cities that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott bussed migrants in response to the surge at the border in 2022, sparking a war of words between Abbott and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

The gang has established a presence in Aurora, Colorado, where there have been a number of arrests and reports that the gang has taken over entire apartment buildings -- something local authorities have pushed back against. Fox News Digital reported in July that TdA members have been given a "green light" to fire on or attack law enforcement in Denver.

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The head of U.S. Border Patrol said recently that they have apprehended dozens of gang members attempting to enter the U.S. at the southern border.

A Customs and Border Protection (CBP) bulletin in March alerted agents to tattoos and other identifiers of the gang. Federal authorities had previously warned that the gang was trying to establish itself in the U.S. and could potentially team up with the violent MS-13 gang.

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The Biden administration announced significant action against the gang in July, when the Treasury designated TdA a "significant transnational criminal organization." That move blocks all property and assets owned by the gang in the U.S.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

Meanwhile, the State Department offered up to $12 million for information leading to the arrest of three of the gang’s leaders. The administration also stressed that it is working to disrupt the gang and has increased vetting.

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However, it taps into ongoing concerns about immigration, which is a top issue for the election, with both presidential candidates claiming that they are the right person to secure the border.