(The Center Square) – Members of the violent Venezuelan prison gang, Tren de Aragua (TdA), continue to expand criminal operations in western states, including in Arizona, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming.
As the border crisis escalated, a record number of illegal border crossers from Venezuela were released into the country by the Biden administration and TdA violence expanded nationwide.
In Arizona, the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office arrested a confirmed TdA member as part of a human smuggling case. The 25-year-old Venezualan illegally entered in Texas, claiming asylum, and was released into the U.S. by the Biden administration, KVOA News 4 reported.
In Colorado, a TdA crime wave made international headlines prompting the Aurora Police Department to create a task force involving state, local and federal law enforcement partners to target TdA criminal activity.
While initial reports claimed TdA crime was isolated, ongoing arrests disproved the claim. A multi-state TdA ATM crime theft ring is under investigation by law enforcement officials in multiple federal agencies and local authorities in several counties in Colorado, New Mexico, Ohio, Wyoming and Texas, The Center Square reported.
A TdA jewelry heist in Denver involved robbers pulling out guns and pistol whipping two women, KDVR Fox 31 Ch. 2 News reported. Of eight male suspects who got away, one with a criminal history was arrested and booked into a Denver correctional facility on charges of attempted first degree murder, aggravated robbery and other charges.
One was turned over to the Denver Sheriff’s Office by U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations Las Cruces NM special agents. The Albuquerque, NM, Police Department also issued a warning about TdA violence and directives to attack or shoot Denver police officers, KDVR reported.
Eleven people, including TdA members, were recently charged in a violent abduction and beating of a couple in a Denver suburb apartment complex. Eight are being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/ One was arrested who was among six involved in a fatal shooting in Aurora, the Associated Press reported. Others remain at large.
A Colorado law firm investigation alleges TdA members began taking over an Aurora apartment complex in 2023 “engaging in flagrant trespass violations, assaults and battery, human trafficking and sexual abuse of minors, unlawful firearms possession, extortion, and other criminal activities, often targeting vulnerable Venezuelan and other immigrant populations,” CBS News reported. They also threatened to kill apartment complex management, the law firm said.
In Utah, TdA members have committed crimes in Herriman and Millcreek, and the governor announced a targeted approach to address illegal immigration and crime, The Center Square reported. The majority of illegal border crossers incarcerated in Utah are sex offenders and murderers, according to state data.
In Wyoming, a suspected TdA member was arrested in Laramie County and charged with felony theft for allegedly stealing a 2005 Toyota Highlander from a Colorado Springs resident. The Laramie County Sheriff’s Office is regularly arresting illegal foreign nationals and cooperating with ICE requests for detainers.
Its sheriff, Brian Kozak, has criticized the so-called sanctuary city policies of Denver, and Colorado, which critics argue have contributed to increased crime in other states like Wyoming. Laramie is roughly a two-hour drive from Denver.
Earlier this year, during National Police Week, Kozak’s office paid for a billboard in downtown Denver “to let those frustrated officers know they can ‘Work in Wyoming where breaking the law is still illegal and cops are funded!’
National Police Week was created “to honor those cops who have paid the ultimate sacrifice and to thank those who serve their communities,” Kozak said in a Facebook post after the city of Denver defunded its police department by several million dollars, allocated funding for migrant shelters and restricted officers’ ability “to enforce traffic laws, such as expired plates or safety equipment violations.”
Kozak also thanked Wyoming residents for supporting law enforcement and “welcomes those who have a desire to do their job to join LCSOwy.org.” County jail and highway patrol positions are available, the sheriff’s office says.
Last year, Kozak’s office hired a record 72 people, many from Colorado, he told Denver 7 News. “Our community really values law enforcement and they want their law enforcement officers enforcing the law that we have.”
While some officials claim Denver hasn’t defunded its police, in April, its mayor announced $5.3 million worth of budget cuts to the Denver Police Department and $90 million for migrant services. The city also received millions in federal grant money for migrant services, The Center Square reported.
As illegal border crime increased in Colorado, Laramie-based Clipper Properties LLC paid for a billboard at the Wyoming-Colorado state line heading south. The billboard depicts the Venezuelan flag’s stripes of yellow, blue and red and states, “Venezuela ahead. Be Prepared!”
A record more than one million Venezuelans illegally entered the U.S. under the Biden administration, roughly double the size of Wyoming’s population, The Center Square reported.