Heritage Releases Report on Venezuelan Gang’s Escalating Threat to Americans

Oct 15, 2024 3 min read

WASHINGTON—Today, The Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center released a new report on Tren De Aragua’s—a notorious Venezuelan gang—escalating threats to the United States. The report examines how the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration policies facilitated entry of the gang into the United States and several horrific crimes against Americans. Heritage’s border security and immigration experts made the following statement in response to the report’s unveiling.

Heritage Director of the Border Security and Immigration Center Lora Ries stated: 

“Tren de Aragua is one of the most ruthless gangs on the planet and the Biden-Harris administration is doing virtually nothing to stop them from entering the United States.

“The administration’s mass release and parole of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans into the country has been a disaster. The result has included robberies, murders, and sex trafficking of innocent Americans.

“There must be an immediate change to policy and enforcement of our laws. Inaction from the administration paves the way for more crimes to be committed on the American people.”

Heritage’s Senior Research Fellow in the Border Security and Immigration Center Simon Hankinson and Heritage’s Research Assistant in Homeland Security and Asian Studies Erin Schniederjan added:

“Importing hundreds of violent gang members to roam and commit crimes on America’s streets is not just a nightmare. Under this administration, it has become a tragic reality.

“This gang does not belong anywhere close to the United States, and we remain hopeful that this report raises awareness on the dangers Tren de Agua poses to our nation.”

Below are some of the main takeaways:

Under the Biden-Harris administration, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have been released or paroled into the United States, allowed to stay in Temporary Protected Status, or just slipped in without being encountered by authorities (the “gotaways”).

Blending among them are hundreds of members of Tren de Aragua (TdA)—a gang that poses serious threats like the Salvadoran gang MS-13.

There are many instances of high-profile crimes committed by TdA across the United States—including in states like Georgia, Illinois, New York, and Texas—and many other instances of crimes committed by young men from Venezuela that are not always evident to U.S. law enforcement.

There has been a reported 25 percent drop in violent deaths in Venezuela from 2021 to 2022. It is not implausible to postulate a link to Venezuela’s export of thousands of young criminals, many to the U.S.

The mass release and parole of inadmissible aliens with no credible vetting of their pasts allow for the worst criminals to easily enter the U.S. and destroy Americans’ lives.