Southwest
Violent Venezuelan prison gang infiltrating US, becoming more organized and brazen: 'MS-13 on steroids'
A violent prison gang called Tren de Aragua, which originated in Aragua, Venezuela, is infiltrating the United States, according to U.S. officials.
The Treasury Department in July sanctioned TDA as a transnational criminal organization, saying the gang participates in different kinds of crimes ranging from human trafficking to kidnapping to extortion, money laundering and illicit drug trafficking, posing a “deadly criminal threat across” the Western Hemisphere.
Republican Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales described TDA as “MS-13 on steroids,” saying members have been coming to the United States for several years now in a phone interview with Fox News Digital.
“They’re extremely aggressive. It’s not as if they’re a passive group or they want to quietly go about things,” Gonzales said. “They’re coming from Venezuela, one of the most war-torn countries over the last decade. So, they’re battle-hardened in many ways. And they’ve made this trek from there to here. But they are also becoming … more organized and more brazen.”
BLOODTHIRSTY VENEZUELAN GANG TREN DE ARAGUA SETS UP SHOP IN US AS BORDER AUTHORITIES SOUND ALARM
Peruvian police in October 2023 captured the alleged leader and 31 other members of a faction of Tren de Aragua, the Venezuelan-born criminal organization. (Cris Bouroncle/AFP via Getty Images)
Gonzales said because of their organization within the states, TDA members are becoming more difficult to track. They’re also difficult to deport because Venezuela is not accepting them back into the country.
Only 834 Venezuelans were deported in fiscal 2023, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data, despite more than 335,000 encounters with Venezuelan migrants at the border that year.
The Biden administration started returning illegal immigrants from Venezuela directly to the socialist dictatorship in October 2023 to discourage the flow to the border.
VENEZUELAN GANG TREN DE ARAGUA GIVES ‘GREEN LIGHT’ TO MEMBERS TO ATTACK COPS: OFFICIALS
Venezuela stopped accepting those flights in January, though, after the U.S. reimposed economic sanctions it had previously lifted.
“They basically released these people and told them, ‘You’re getting a one-way trip to the United States,’” Gonzales said.
This compilation shows a suspected Tren de Aragua member and the southern border. (Fox News/Border Patrol)
In a recent example of such violence, TDA members were linked to a June 24 jewelry heist in Denver, Colorado, during which multiple suspects posing as clients suddenly pulled out guns and pistol-whipped two women inside the jewelry store, according to FOX 31 Denver.
BORDER STATE LAWMAKER SOUNDS ALARM ON BLOODTHIRSTY VENEZUELAN GANG ENTERING US: ‘THEY HAVE NO RULES’
The Albuquerque Police Department in New Mexico recently shared a bulletin from the Colorado Information Analysis Center with personnel in July warning law enforcement of reports that TDA members in Denver have been given a “‘green light’ to fire on or attack law enforcement.”
TDA members were linked to a June 24 jewelry heist in Denver, Colo., during which multiple suspects posing as clients suddenly pulled out guns and pistol-whipped two women inside the jewelry store, according to FOX 31 Denver. (HSI El Paso)
Laken Riley murder suspect Jose Ibarra’s brother, Diego Ibarra, also has ties to the gang, as Fox News previously reported. The Ibarras, along with a third brother, were living in the U.S. illegally after crossing into the country through Texas and eventually making their way to the college town of Athens, Georgia.
The gang has been linked to dozens of robberies in all five boroughs of New York City, and two TDA members were accused of attacking two NYPD officers in Times Square in January.
FBI FEARS VENEZUELA MIGRANT GANG MEMBERS COULD POTENTIALLY TEAM UP WITH MS-13 KILLERS
Images taken from federal court filings include Diego Ibarra’s alleged fake green card as well as photos prosecutors say are evidence of his suspected ties to the violent Tren de Aragua gang from Venezuela. (Middle District of Georgia)
“Lots of people are fleeing economic persecution, and they’re looking for an opportunity,” Gonzales said. “But embedded in those people are lots of [criminals] who want to cause you harm. And don’t think for a second that that harm won’t happen to you because of wherever you live, or because you’ve never even met someone from Venezuela before. Doesn’t matter.”
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has a National Gang Unit that works with federal, state, local and international law enforcement partners to identify violent street gangs and arrest, prosecute, detain or remove transnational members, according to ICE. The agency also provides support to enhance gang investigations for HSI field offices across the nation and overseas.
“Homeland Security Investigations is committed to investigating, disrupting and dismantling transnational gangs and prioritizes work to combat emerging threats related to them,” an ICE spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “HSI is aware of recent violent crime and arrests involving individuals allegedly associated with the Tren de Aragua gang and continues to assess emerging trends and assist partner law enforcement agencies.”
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (Gaby Oraa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Illegal immigrants associated with gang activity in their home countries and identified during regular immigration enforcement duties are prioritized for arrest, detention and removal.
The FBI has warned that TDA members could team up with the more infamous MS-13 as it looks to expand within U.S. borders.
TDA “leverages its transnational networks to traffic people, especially migrant women and girls, across borders for sex trafficking and debt bondage,” the Treasury said in a July press release. “When victims seek to escape this exploitation, Tren de Aragua members often kill them and publicize their deaths as a threat to others.”
Anyone with information related to gang activity may submit anonymous reports to ICE by calling the HSI tip-line at 877-4-HSI-TIP.
Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
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Los Angeles, Ca
Pasadena motorist knocked unconscious in unprovoked assault after other driver flashes high beams at him
A motorist was rendered unconscious after what authorities are calling an unprovoked attack that occurred after another driver flashed their high beams at him, authorities say.
According to the Pasadena Police Department, the victim, a 63-year-old man, was driving northbound on Raymond Avenue near Washington Boulevard when a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction flashed him around 1 a.m. Saturday.
“The victim reported that he was driving northbound on Raymond Avenue from Washington Boulevard when he observed a vehicle traveling southbound flashing its high beams at him,” a Pasadena Police Department spokesperson confirmed to KTLA. “The victim stated he stopped his vehicle and exited. He was then assaulted by an unknown suspect. The assault was unprovoked.”
The attack left the man unconscious and with a three-inch deep laceration to his head, police added. Upon regaining consciousness, the man transported himself to Huntington Hospital, and it was around 1:20 a.m. when police responded there to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon and began their investigation.
Upon arriving at the hospital, the victim told police that, due to his injuries, he was not able to provide a description of a suspect, vehicle or the weapon used, nor was he able to tell police the exact location where the assault occurred, although it was confirmed to be somewhere near Raymond Avenue and Washington Boulevard. La Pintoresca Park is located near that intersection.
No further details were immediately available.
Anyone with any information on the incident is asked to contact the Pasadena Police Department right away.
Sofia Pop Perez contributed to this report.
Los Angeles, Ca
Woman killed by driver while crossing PCH in Long Beach
A woman was struck and killed by a driver while crossing the street on Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach.
On June 3, the female pedestrian was using the crosswalk at Pacific Coast Highway and Pacific Avenue around 4:50 a.m.
She had walked against a red light and was hit by a 19-year-old driver in a Chevy sedan, Long Beach police said.
Despite lifesaving efforts, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation.
“At this time, impaired driving, distracted driving and excessive speed are not believed to be a factor in this collision,” police said.
The woman’s name is being withheld pending identification by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information on the incident is asked to call Detective Joseph Johnson at 562-570-7355.
Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.
Los Angeles, Ca
Man wanted for deadly Los Angeles road rage shooting extradited from Mexico
A man wanted for a deadly road rage shooting in Los Angeles was arrested and extradited from Mexico after fleeing the U.S. in 2024.
The suspect was identified as Christian Rojas, 21, of Bellflower, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Authorities had been searching for him since the deadly incident on October 10, 2024.
Rojas and a second suspect, Joshua Rojas Sr., 47, of Downey, were driving on the northbound 5 Freeway in Boyle Heights around 4 p.m. when they became involved in an altercation with another driver that escalated into a shooting.
Video of the tense confrontation showed the suspects, who were driving a Dodge Durango SUV, opening fire on two men in a Cadillac sedan.
The shooting forced the victim to pull over abruptly. That’s when a suspect ran up to the Cadillac, opened the passenger-side door and fired several shots at close range.
In a panic, the Cadillac driver tried to escape by making a sudden U-turn and driving against oncoming traffic. He eventually crashed head-on into several vehicles.
The suspects ditched their SUV and fled toward a freeway exit on foot. The Cadillac driver was left with serious injuries and his passenger was killed. Their identities were not released.
The incident caused a miles-long backup that left thousands of motorists stranded on the freeway for hours and authorities worked to clear the scene.
Following an extensive investigation, detectives identified the two men as the suspects involved.
Joshua Rojas Sr. was arrested in San Bernardino on October 22, 2024, on a murder charge. He remains in custody awaiting trial.
Meanwhile, Christian Rojas had fled the U.S. and was hiding in Mexico, detectives said. A $4.3 million bail warrant was issued for his arrest.
“Through a coordinated international effort, investigators determined that Rojas was living in Palomo de Arriba, Mexico,” CHP officials said. “The U.S. Marshals Service worked with Mexican state police to locate and arrest him on the outstanding warrant.”
On June 2, 2026, Christian was arrested and extradited to the U.S. to face a murder charge.
“This arrest demonstrates that time and distance will not shield violent offenders from justice,” said CHP Southern Division Chief Chris Margaris. “For nearly two years, our detectives remained relentless in their pursuit of those responsible for this senseless act of violence. Through exceptional collaboration with the United States Marshals Service and our law enforcement partners in Mexico, we located and apprehended this suspect and brought him back to face the charges. We remain committed to protecting the public, supporting victims and their families, and holding violent criminals accountable wherever they may try to hide.”
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