Venezuelan Criminal Organization Infiltrates New York City: Report

Violent Venezuelan gang members have infiltrated the U.S. and were authorized by gang leaders to fire upon American law enforcement, according to U.S. officials who believe the transnational criminal organizations may be planning attacks against military facilities and personnel.

Investigative Journalist James O’Keefe obtained Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) from the U.S. Army’s North Division revealing the threat posed to U.S. national security by Venezuela’s largest criminal organization, Tren de Aragua (TdA).

“As of July 28, 2024, an identified transnational criminal organization ‘Tren de Aragua’ stated that law enforcement officers are ‘green lit’ for attacks by members of the organization,” said the army document.

“TdA has established a presence in Brooklyn, Bronx, and Williamsburg NY–approximately 400 TdA members live in those cities,” said the document.

Gang members in Colorado were the first granted permission to attack law enforcement. In the Colorado city of Aurora, national attention has been drawn to hotel complexes reportedly under the control of TdA. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reportedly received similar information about the 400 gang members in New York.

NYC residents have begun to notice National Guardsmen stationed throughout the city amid the growing presence of TdA.

While some media commenters speculated that the military presence was in preparation for the now-deferred sentencing of former President Donald Trump, O’Keefe suggested that they were there in response to TdA.

The Army report did not provide any details on the presence of National Guardsmen in NYC or tie the heightened security precautions to any transnational criminal group.

The document warned that TdA members may be planning to target military bases and suggested that a previously unexplained August attack on a Texas Air Force base was part of a TdA initiation.

[RELATED: No New Information on Armed Gunman Who Staged Coordinated Assault on U.S. Military Base…]

“Current global events, monetary gains, and criminal interests my drive this gang to target (Department of Defense) DoD facilities and personnel with targeted attacks, and vandalism with the intent to harm and cause fear,” said the document.

NYC is just 57 miles from West Point Military academy.

Officials instructed military personnel to be on watch for common strategies used by malign actors to infiltrate DoD facilities. Infiltrators have been found using ride-share apps such as Uber or Lyft, impersonating delivery drivers, or pretending they were merely following a GPS.

TdA may be connected through the Venezuelan government with its allies in Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, Cuba, and even Russia, according to the report, and may act to destabilize the U.S. at the behest of its international enemies.

“These connections involve the use of criminal organizations such as the Tren de Aragua, which originated in Venezuela, marking a dangerous change of strategy that does not respect the lives of innocent people,” said the report.

TdA is Venezuela’s largest criminal gang, with an estimated 5,000 members operating throughout Latin America under the control of Héctor “Niño” Guerrero.

Guerrero previously ran his gang from the Tocorón prison in Venezuela, before authorities seized control of the facility.

The U.S. has seen a recent increase in TdA activity on U.S. soil.

Venezuelan gang members stormed a 99-unit apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, and seized control of the building.

TdA gang members reportedly took control of the Aspen Grove in June, and the complex remained open until August when authorities ordered it shut down and evicted all residents.

Video emerged last month showing Venezuelan gang members apparently seizing control of another Colorado apartment complex.

An August indictment from Texas prosecutors reveals that the Gateway Hotel in El Paso had also come under the control of TdA.

Police responded to the hotel a staggering 693 times in just two years.

The surge in TdA activity across the country comes after record numbers of Venezuelans illegally crossed into the U.S. amid the Biden-Harris Administration’s open border policies. At the time, Vice President Kamala Harris was serving as the administration’s “border czar.”

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The Biden-Harris Administration granted temporary status to nearly 500,000 Venezuelans who entered the U.S. without prior authorization last year, protecting them from deportation.