Violent South American Tren de Aragua gang member busted near Trump estate

A Venezuelan national suspected of being a member of the Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang has been arrested near President-elect Trump’s estate in West Palm Beach, Florida, according to a senior U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) official.

Jeffrey Dinise, the chief patrol agent of the USBP Miami Sector, announced the arrest in a social media post on Tuesday.

“U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a Venezuelan national who was identified as a Tren de Aragua gang member,” Dinise wrote on X. “He has a criminal record for assault w/ a deadly weapon. Our agents continue to keep our communities safe.”

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The arrest happened in Palm Beach, Florida, not far from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in West Palm Beach.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said Thursday that the incident did not take place at any of Trump’s properties.

“U.S. Customs and Border Protection continues to work closely with our law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe, including taking proactive steps to detect and positively identify members of the TdA criminal gang” the spokesperson said. “This was a targeted apprehension of a known Tren de Aragua member. As our U.S. Border Patrol agents encounter individuals who pose a threat to national security or public safety, or when new information becomes available following continuous vetting, we will take appropriate action in keeping with the mission of protecting the homeland.”

Researchers have traced the origins of Tren de Aragua, which translates to “Train of Aragua,” to the Tocoron prison in the Aragua state of Venezuela sometime between 2013 and 2015.

The violent gang, which has been terrorizing neighborhoods across the country, is now operating in 16 states, according to a new Department of Homeland Security memo cited by the New York Post. The gang has reportedly taken advantage of a lax southern border under the Biden-Harris administration, with many of its foot soldiers swarming into unsuspecting U.S. communities.

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The gang has been engaged in all sorts of violent crime, including murders, shootings of police officers, assaults, robberies and gun smuggling into migrant shelters. It is also said to be engaged in drug dealing and the sex trafficking of migrant women in New York City, and in some states armed members of the gang have been taking over apartment buildings. 

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This image from social media video shows suspected juvenile Tren de Aragua members based out of the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City who have reportedly been targeting nearby Times Square in a string of robberies. (Obtained by New York Post)

And now, according to a New York Post report, the gang is operating in an area that includes half of America’s population.

In addition to New York City, Colorado and Texas, the gang has a foothold in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee and Wisconsin, and most recently in Washington, D.C., Virginia, Montana and Wyoming, according to the report that cites a Homeland Security memo. 

The Homeland Security memo, titled “Expansion of Tren de Aragua (TdA) Across the United States Presents Challenges for Law Enforcement,” states that the gang has increased its “violent tendencies” as it spreads, according to the report.

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Heckman and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.