Hispanic Republicans in Congress have pushed President Joe Biden to take sweeping action against the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua after one of its reported members was arrested in the kidnapping and murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), and Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) led seven senators and 16 House lawmakers who sent the White House a letter Friday that demanded the Biden administration immediately declare the South American gang a Transnational Criminal Organization.
“Heinous crimes committed by the Tren de Aragua, like the rapes of multiple children and the murders of retired police officer José Luis Sánchez Valera and nursing student Laken Riley, must stop,” the 23 lawmakers wrote in the letter. “By designating the Tren de Aragua as a TCO, we will send a clear message that its reign of terror will not be tolerated, and that we will stand united in our resolve to protect our communities from the scourge of transnational organized crime.
The lawmakers described Tren de Aragua as an “invading criminal army from a prison in Venezuela.”
“If left unchecked, they will unleash an unprecedented reign of terror, mirroring the devastation it has already inflicted in communities throughout Central and South America, most prominently in Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru,” the letter stated. “The breadth of Tren de Aragua’s operations encompasses murder, drug and human trafficking, sex crimes, extortion, and kidnapping, among other brutalities.”
Riley was killed while on a jog on the University of Georgia campus in Athens on Feb. 22.
The following day, investigators arrested Venezuelan illegal immigrant Jose Ibarra for her death.
Ibarra’s alleged connection to Tren de Aragua was reported by the Daily Caller, which stated that the association was listed in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement documents.
Ibarra came across the U.S.-Mexico border illegally in 2022 and was released by federal law enforcement. He had resided in New York City with his girlfriend, whom he married, and their 5-year-old son before moving to Georgia to live with a relative.
However, it is unclear if ICE or Border Patrol authorities knew at the time of Ibarra’s arrest in 2022 if he was a member of the gang or if authorities only added the information after his arrest for the murder.
Border Patrol agents track the number of illegal immigrants who cross the border and are affiliated with the 45 gangs listed on its website. Tren de Aragua is not listed on the CBP chart.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the federal agency that manages the nation’s borders and immigrant arrests, did not respond to a request for comment on why Tren de Aragua was not on the list or protocol for the arrest of an illegal immigrant who is a known gang member.
Lawmakers warned that not designating Tren de Aragua as a transnational criminal organization would allow the group to expand within the United States.
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“We cannot permit our cities to become battlegrounds for such organizations, nor can we allow our citizens to suffer at their hands,” the letter continued. “It is clear that most state and local law enforcement agencies are not yet prepared to handle the magnitude of this grave threat.”
Other lawmakers who signed onto the letter included Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Rick Scott (R-FL), Tim Scott (R-SC), and John Cornyn (R-TX), as well as Reps. Andy Ogles (R-TN), Carlos Giménez (R-FL), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Lance Gooden (R-TX), Jenniffer González-Colón (R-PR), Mike Waltz (R-FL), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL), C. Scott Franklin (R-FL), Randy Weber (R-TX), Jim Baird (R-IN), and Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY).
