Dallas, TX

Dallas home invasion shows Venezuelan gang threat is real

Published

1 year ago

October 27, 2024

Dallas home invasion shows Venezuelan gang threat is real

The ruthless Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua is becoming a household name in the United States, rolling off the tongues of Republican politicians to attack the Biden administration’s border policies. Many Democrats, for their part, want you to brush off reports about gang activity in the U.S. as election-year exaggerations.

You should be wary of political rhetoric that paints all Venezuelan immigrants as violent criminals. An overwhelming majority of them aren’t. But Tren de Aragua, and a rival gang known as Anti-Tren, are real threats. While we don’t know the full scope of their presence and crimes in the U.S., law enforcement records indicate that their tendrils have reached into Texas and the Dallas area. A recent home invasion in Bluffview near Dallas Love Field underscores why local police agencies must be on high alert, working together with federal partners to counteract this gang threat before its roots grow deeper in North Texas.

On Sept. 21, four men cornered a woman as she pulled into her garage and forced her into her home at gunpoint. According to a police affidavit, the woman was pistol-whipped and bound with her own clothing as the men ransacked her home. They made off with $75,000 in jewelry, designer purses, a bank card and the woman’s iPhone.

Authorities linked a fingerprint at the crime scene to a Venezuelan named Manuel Hernandez Hernandez, 28, who admitted being present during the robbery and implicated four other suspects, including the getaway driver, according to a police affidavit. Hernandez Hernandez told police the other suspects were in the Anti-Tren gang — a group made up of former Tren de Aragua members — and that they were involved in sex trafficking. The man told detectives he had known one of the suspects for 15 years and that they had grown up together.

“Manuel Hernandez-Hernandez claimed that he was not a part of the gang but that the other members were known to engage in promoting prostitution and possessed firearms,” reads the Dallas police affidavit.

We’re troubled by what we’ve learned about the men’s records. According to federal officials, Hernandez Hernandez crossed the border without being inspected in March near El Paso, and in May, he pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated and was sentenced to three days’ confinement. Officials didn’t say where.

Colleyville police arrested Hernandez Hernandez after a traffic stop Sept. 19, a couple of days before the Dallas robbery. Records show he was cited for five low-level misdemeanors, including possession of drug paraphernalia and driving without a license, and released from jail the next day. A spokeswoman for Colleyville police told us there was no immigration detainer on Hernandez Hernandez at the time of his release.

An immigration detainer is a notice that tells local officials that federal authorities plan to take custody of a suspect who is not a U.S. citizen and is eligible for deportation.

Another suspect, Carlos Alberto Martinez Silva, arrived in July at a U.S. port of entry in California. He was admitted into the country pending immigration proceedings, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

Two other robbery suspects — Yean Torrealba Sanabria and Wilmer Colmenares Gonzalez — encountered Border Patrol agents in 2023 near Eagle Pass and Brownsville, respectively. Both were released pending immigration court hearings in Dallas in January 2025.

We don’t know how the fifth suspect, Jarlen Flores Guana, made his way into the U.S. He and the four other robbery suspects now have immigration detainers, according to ICE and county records.

Our editorial board reached out to the Dallas Police Department to ask about the potential presence of Venezuelan gangs. The department declined our interview request.

We also reached out to the FBI office in Dallas. The agency described in broad terms its efforts to investigate gangs. It said in a statement that it pursues violent gangs with its local and state partners through its Violent Gang Safe Streets Task Force and that it works closely with the community to develop sources and generate leads.

It’s no surprise that potential gang members have filtered through the southern border. A recent federal audit found that the Department of Homeland Security’s technology and procedures were “not fully effective” in screening and vetting asylum applicants. The agency fails to rescreen asylum-seekers for potential threats during the months and years that it takes to adjudicate hundreds of thousands of asylum applications.

This problem is magnified when dealing with arrivals from Venezuela, a country with which the U.S. has no diplomatic ties or data-sharing agreements.

Local police can’t control immigration authorities’ vetting protocols, but they can be proactive about sharing intelligence with other law enforcement agencies and federal partners, especially when dealing with crimes like sex trafficking that often cross city and state boundaries.

Earlier this year, three Venezuelan citizens with ties to Tren de Aragua were charged in connection to a sex trafficking operation. According to a federal criminal complaint, a victim told Border Patrol agents in El Paso that a gang member paid for her to be smuggled into the U.S. and was forcing her to pay off her debt through prostitution. The woman said the gang had “stash houses” in Texas, Louisiana, Virginia, New Jersey and Florida and that up to 30 women were being trafficked. According to the complaint, local authorities searched an apartment in Baton Rouge after a Spanish-speaking woman called to say she was being trafficked. Officers found money, condoms and ledger books.

“The ledger books appeared to document how much money each victim made each day and how much of their ‘debt’ remained,” the federal complaint states.

Bianca Davis, CEO of New Friends New Life, a Dallas nonprofit that helps trafficking victims, told us that the overwhelming majority of people it helps are locals, not immigrants. She said she expects the number of immigrants the organization helps will grow as it does more outreach and immigrant communities become more established.

Davis emphasized that sex trafficking can be subtle and doesn’t require victims to cross borders or even ZIP codes.

It’s important to see the big picture here and reject fearmongering that blames undocumented immigrants for all the crime in our neighborhoods and cities. At the same time, our police and state and federal agencies must remain vigilant about international criminal groups and proactively share information with one another that can help our communities stave off threats.

We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here. If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com

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Dallas, TX

Public frustration grows as Dallas leaders debate billion‑dollar City Hall fix or relocation

Published

4 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Public frustration grows as Dallas leaders debate billion‑dollar City Hall fix or relocation

Dallas City Council members spent the day hearing hours of public criticism as they weigh whether to spend roughly $1 billion to repair the aging, 50‑year‑old City Hall or pursue a plan to move out entirely. The meeting grew tense as residents voiced mistrust over the council’s motives, prompting members to suspend normal rules and allow anyone in the chamber to speak. Speakers questioned whether the push to relocate serves the public or private developers, while city staff prepared to present cost and feasibility details during what is expected to be a long evening session.

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Dallas, TX

Hip-hop hitmaker Cardi B coming to AAC in Dallas

Published

16 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Hip-hop hitmaker Cardi B coming to AAC in Dallas

Cardi B, one of hip-hop’s most outsize personalities — and one of its most reliable hitmakers — is coming to Dallas.

The New York City-born rapper broke through in 2017 with the hit single “Bodak Yellow,” launching a chart-topping run that soon included “I Like It” and the blockbuster hit “WAP.” Her Grammy-winning debut album, Invasion of Privacy, cemented her as a defining voice in contemporary rap, blending brash humor, confessional storytelling and club-ready production.

The 33-year-old’s success helped boost the profile of women in a genre long dominated by men, encouraging record labels to sign more female rappers. She has frequently teamed up with rising female artists, including GloRilla, FendiDa Rappa and “WAP” collaborator Megan Thee Stallion.

Cardi’s stop at American Airlines Center is part of the arena run supporting her second studio album, 2025’s Am I the Drama? Recent shows in the “Little Miss Drama Tour” have leaned into spectacle, with elaborate staging, surprise guest appearances and a set list that spans her entire career.

Fans can expect a high-energy performance built around booming trap beats, pop hooks and Cardi’s signature unfiltered banter — the same mix that has helped her sell out dates across the tour and turn concerts into party-like events.

DETAILS: March 7 at 7:30 p.m. at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Tickets start at $334.10, but some verified resale tickets are cheaper. ticketmaster.com.

Pop legend Diana Ross performs March 7 at the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma.

Sarah Hepola

OTHER CONCERTS

Bluesy psychedelic rock band All Them Witches performs March 7 at House of Blues Dallas.
Travis Pinson

ALL THEM WITCHES March 7 at 8 p.m. at House of Blues Dallas. ticketmaster.com.

DIANA ROSS March 7 at 8 p.m. at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla. winstar.com.

RICH BRIAN March 7 at 8 p.m. at The Bomb Factory in Deep Ellum. axs.com.

TRACE ADKINS March 7 at 10 p.m. at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth. billybobstexas.com.

AFROJACK March 8 at 3 p.m. at It’ll Do Club in Deep Ellum. eventbrite.com.

LITHE March 8 at 8 p.m. at House of Blues Dallas. ticketmaster.com.

CONAN GRAY March 10 at 8 p.m. at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. ticketmaster.com.

MATISYAHU March 10 at 8 p.m. at the Granada Theater in Dallas. prekindle.com.

OUR LADY PEACE, WITH THE VERVE PIPE March 12 at 8 p.m. at Tannahill’s Tavern and Music Hall in Fort Worth. ticketmaster.com.

PAUL WALL March 12 at 9 p.m. and March 13 at 10 p.m. at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth. billybobstexas.com.

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Dallas, TX

GOP candidates for Texas House face off in Collin County, Park Cities, North Dallas

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

GOP candidates for Texas House face off in Collin County, Park Cities, North Dallas

The fiercest legislative primary fights Tuesday in North Texas were inside the GOP.

In Dallas County, two moderate GOP incumbent representatives faced challengers after being censured by their own county party.

In Collin County, several Republican state House members were fending off rivals running to their right.

The Dallas Morning News will provide live election results this evening when the polls close at 7 p.m. Results will be updated throughout the evening for statewide races and Dallas, Collin, Denton, Ellis, Kaufman, Rockwall and Tarrant counties.

Dallas County, House District 108

Republican Morgan Meyer, first elected in 2014, was challenged by attorney Sanjay Narayan in a district that includes the Park Cities, Oak Lawn and Preston Hollow.

Narayan criticized Meyer for backing renewable energy expansion and for being censured by the Dallas GOP last year.

Meyer was among House Republicans targeted after disputes over the House speaker vote and chamber rules. He and other lawmakers called the censure effort unconstitutional.

In the campaign, Meyer focused on property tax relief and emergency preparedness after the Camp Mystic tragedy.

Small business owner Allison Mitchell is unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Dallas County, House District 112

Republican Angie Chen Button, who has represented the district covering parts of Dallas, Richardson and Garland since 2009, drew three primary opponents.

Button has highlighted her support for small businesses and public schools and her bipartisan record. A senior member of the Ways and Means Committee, she would play a key role in the state’s property tax debate if reelected.

Dallas-area delegation in the Texas House of Representatives on Sunday, May 30, 2021, showing State Rep. Angie Chen Button, R-Garland, in the chamber.

Bob Daemmrich / Bob Daemmrich/CapitolPressPhoto

Opponents Chad Carnahan and Tina Price attacked Button for being censured by the Dallas GOP last year, a move she and other lawmakers have criticized as an internal party power struggle.

Carnahan, a businessman, said he wants to lower property taxes and prevent Shariah in Texas.

Price said she would improve public schools and spur the re-use of old buildings. Also in the GOP race: Perry E. Barker Sr.

Democrat Zach Herbert was unopposed.

Collin County, House District 61

Two Republicans are seeking to represent the district that covers most of McKinney and parts of Frisco and Celina.

Incumbent Keresa Richardson, who was elected in 2024, and former state Rep. Frederick Frazier both support eliminating property taxes.

Richardson, an entrepreneur, said she would expand the Texas voucher-like program for education.

Frazier, a former police officer and McKinney City Council member, was more cautious about expanding the program.

Frederick Frazier speaks as Rep. Keresa Richardson looks on during a candidate forum for... — Frederick Frazier speaks as Rep. Keresa Richardson looks on during a candidate forum for Republicans in Collin County ahead of the March primary election at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, Tuesday, February 10, 2026.
Anja Schlein / Special Contributor

Two political newcomers, Jackie Bescherer and Brittany Black, are running in the Democratic primary. Both oppose Texas’ voucher program and vow to increase public education funding.

Collin County, House District 67

Republican Rep. Jeff Leach, first elected in 2012, faces Matt Thorsen in a district that includes parts of Plano, Allen, McKinney and Melissa.

Leach has highlighted his conservative record, including legislation barring Shariah in Texas courts. He also served as a House impeachment manager during Attorney General Ken Paxton’s 2023 trial, a role he has defended amid backlash from activists.

Thorsen, a small business owner and former youth pastor, helped lead the effort to censure Leach last year. He has criticized Leach’s impeachment role and accused him of siding with Democrats on House rules.

Both support eliminating property taxes, expanding education savings accounts and oppose the development formerly known as EPIC City. Two Democrats are also running, though the district has leaned Republican.

Collin County, House District 70

Three Republicans are competing for the nomination to run against incumbent Democrat Mihaela Plesa, who is running unopposed in her party’s primary.

Democrat Mihaela Plesa responds to questions during a District 70 Candidate Forum hosted by... — Democrat Mihaela Plesa responds to questions during a District 70 Candidate Forum hosted by Raise Your Hand Texas at Plano ISD Academy High School in Plano on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022.
Liesbeth Powers / Staff Photographer

George Flint, a former district judge and Collin County Republican Party Chair, emphasized eliminating property taxes and securing the border in his campaign.

Jack Ryan Gallagher, an attorney, said he would attract companies to North Texas, improve public schools and partner with local law enforcement if elected.

Michael Hewitt, an attorney, said he would gradually lower property taxes and work to keep Texas a business-friendly state.

The district includes parts of Plano, Richardson and Far North Dallas.

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