On New Year’s Eve, four members of a notorious Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, were caught trying to sneak into Texas from Mexico. The arrests were announced by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who said the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) had stopped the men on December 31.
The incident happened in Val Verde County, where DPS officers came across a group of 22 migrants from Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. Out of this group, 11 were arrested for trespassing on private property. Among them were nine Venezuelan men who told officers they were heading to places like San Antonio, Irving, and Corsicana. While interviewing the group, four of the men caught the attention of officers. Something about their stories raised red flags.
After getting permission to check the men’s phones, officers found evidence on social media linking them to Tren de Aragua, a gang known for its violent activities. The arrested men were identified as Segundo Ocando-Mejia, 39, Pedro Luis Salazar-Cuervo, 27, and two 18-year-olds, Antonio Joe Urruttia-Rojas and Levi Jesus Urrutia-Blanco. Investigators suspect that Ocando-Mejia might be a gang leader because of tattoos on his shoulders that seemed to signify his rank.
This isn’t the first time Texas authorities have dealt with members of Tren de Aragua. Last September, Governor Abbott officially labeled the gang as a foreign terrorist organization during a press conference in Houston. Since then, Texas law enforcement has been cracking down on their operations. In October, there was a big raid at an apartment complex in San Antonio, leading to more arrests of gang members.
The gang has also been linked to other crimes in Texas. Authorities are investigating whether Tren de Aragua members were involved in the tragic death of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, who was killed in Houston last year.
For now, the arrests on New Year’s Eve are a small but significant step in Texas’ fight to keep communities safe from gang violence. Law enforcement continues to stay vigilant, working to prevent dangerous groups like Tren de Aragua from spreading their influence.