Executive command of President Trump on Saturday inviting himself to Enemary Enemies Law Targets Venecuelan nationals 14 and older with ties with a transnational gang of a moment de Aragua, saying that they are “susceptible to arrest, restrained, securing and removal as aliens enemies.”
Mr. Trump’s command was quickly challenged in court, but the gang is an increasing source of concern last year. Administration of bidet labeled Too de Aragua Transnational Criminal Organization 2024, the New York Police Directorate emphasized its activity on the eastern coast, and Trump’s White House began the process appointment This is a foreign terrorist organization in January.
Here’s what we know about the gang:
The growing force from Venezuela
Too de Aragua (Aragua train, or Aragua train) roots At the Tocorón prison in Northern Aragia State in Venezuela, which the group leaders had transformed into a mini city With pool, restaurants and zoos. They reportedly recorded executions and torture there to maintain control of other prisoners.
As Venezuela’s economy collapsed and his government under Nicolás Maduro, under President, became more repressive, the group began to exploit vulnerable migrants. The influence of a moment de Aragua soon extended to other parts of Latin America, and developed into one of the most insignificant and most notorious criminal organizations in the region, focusing on sex trade, smuggling people and drugs.
Colombian officials 2022. They charged the gang of at least 23 murders after the police began to find Body parts in bags. Alleged members were also arrested in Chile IU Brazil, where the gang was aligned with Primeir Comando da Capital, one of the largest organized crime in that country.
Recent entry into the United States
Despite many unknowns about its true size or sophistication in the United States, in the last few years, a moment of deral has become a real source of concern for law enforcement.
IN New York CityAccording to the police, the gang focused on the stealing of her cell phone; Retail theft, especially top goods in department stores and thefts while riding scooters; And dealing with pink, powdery synthetic drug, known as a shower, which is often lined with ketamine, MDMA or fentanil.
Police also said that the band is believed to employ members from the city migrants shelters, and have differently had conflicts or made alliances with other gangs.
In other parts of the country people are accused of affiliation with a moment de Aragua have been accused with crimes like shooting And trafficking in people, mostly aiming to members of the Venecuelan community.
In May 2024. Federal officials discovered a sex ring, saying that a gang forced Venezuelan women to have sex to repay debts to smugglers who helped with border crossings. The ring extended to Louisiani, Texas, Virginia, Florida and New Jersey, according to an appeal filed in a federal court.
The presence of a group in the United States was the point of election in 2024, because Mr. Trump accused the Bidan administration of letting criminals into the country. During the presidential hearing, he falsely proposed That the gang took over Aurora, Colo.
Migrant stigma source
Trump’s administration has repeatedly described a moment de Aragua as a focus of her efforts to deport. Venecuelan migrants seeking asylum say that the presence of a gang and discourse around it in the United States created harmful stigma and discrimination against them.
“Both of us who have tattoos think we are a moment de Aragua,” said Evelyn Velasquez, 33-year-old Venecuelan woman, said the New York Times in September. “I’m going to apply for a job and when they hear we’re Venezuelan, they reject us.”
In February, the White House Secretary said he was 10 men detained and located in the Guantánamo BayCuba were members of a moment de Aragua. Sister of one of the men said he was not a member of the gang.
At the end of February, Trump’s administration abruptly emptied two detention, the government once held 177 Venezuelanians flying from the United States, including a military prison building that was previously used to hold a terrorism detainee. Federal officials emigrated another group from migrants this month.
