With the influx of undocumented immigrants from South America into New York City, the once unknown “Tren de Aragua” (TDA) Venezuelan gang has also established its own territory in New York City. This gang, formed in Venezuela in 2018, has quickly built a violent criminal group in just over a year, operating activities such as armed robberies, gun smuggling, and drug trafficking, using immigrant shelters as a hub.
According to the New York Post, TDA, the gang, has expanded its operations to major cities in the United States such as El Paso, Texas, Chicago, and New York City. An immigration law enforcement source revealed that the gang has also expanded to New Jersey, recruiting some new members from New York.
The New York City Police Department stated that TDA is the mastermind behind a series of retail thefts and robberies in the city, especially targeting high-end goods in department stores. They not only target retailers but also ordinary people, riding lightweight motorcycles to snatch phones and expensive watches from pedestrians on the streets. Their members are typically aged between 15 and 19, operating in groups of six or more. TDA members even show no fear towards the police; in June this year, a 19-year-old gang member Castro Mata shot at the police during an armed robbery.
In addition to robberies, TDA is also involved in prostitution and drug trafficking. Prostitution activities in the “Sweetheart Market” segment of Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens, have intensified, with immigrant prostitutes soliciting clients day and night on the streets, while vendors sell drugs and stolen goods. A source told the New York Post that a shop suspected of involvement in sex trafficking, raided by the NYPD last week, may be linked to TDA. Furthermore, this gang is also selling a new type of mixed drug called Tussi or ‘pink cocaine,’ rapidly spreading.
The large immigrant tent camp at Randall’s Island, housing undocumented immigrants, has become the operational hub of TDA in New York. This tent camp provides convenience for TDA’s operations, allowing members to hide in plain sight. Even the rival gang El Carro De Lost Caragijos 666 has established its New York headquarters here. TDA recruits new members from these city-run immigrant shelters, with many immigrants being forced to join under threat to their families by TDA. Any immigrant who refuses to join is labeled as an “enemy.”
As many undocumented immigrants work in food delivery, TDA takes advantage of this industry, pretending to be delivery drivers on lightweight motorcycles for armed robberies. Sources told the Post that TDA smuggles guns and drugs inside delivery bags into places like Randall’s Island, as security personnel rarely search these bags or use metal detectors.
Detective Joseph Kenny of the NYPD stated that not every immigrant is here to commit crimes or is a gang member. However, these TDA members blend into immigrant communities, wearing Uber Eats uniforms and using Uber Eats bags during crimes. They boast about their crimes when arrested but refuse to discuss TDA itself, out of fear of retaliation.
For most undocumented immigrants seeking asylum, the rampant gang violence is one of the main reasons forcing them to leave their homelands. A Venezuelan immigrant living in the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan told the Post that if he had known a Venezuelan gang would also be present here, he would not have brought his children here in the first place.