The group has been running human trafficking operations and is expanding other criminal activities in the cities of Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga.
The Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang has significantly increased its activity in four major Tennessee cities and state law enforcement is largely placing the blame on security failures at the southern border, per state officials.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch appeared on Fox & Friends on Friday where he said that the gang has “exploited” security lapses at the US-Mexico border. Rausch explained that the group has been running human trafficking operations and is expanding other criminal activities in the cities of Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga.
"They go from human trafficking to organized retail crime theft, and then they move into the drug trade, taking on the cartels in very violent, bloody battles that they've had,” Rausch said.
The gang, which has displayed a brazen disregard for law enforcement, poses a significant challenge for police, Rausch noted. He highlighted difficulties in apprehending suspects if they do not have immigration detainers, creating limitations for officers.
"If we come upon them and they have a detainer on them, then we can take them into custody. But other than that, then all we can do is monitor and, and assure that they aren't violating the law. But that is a challenge," said Rausch, referring to it as a game of “cat and mouse.”
The Department of Homeland Security recently disclosed that over 600 migrants in the US may have connections to the TdA, with at least 100 considered “subjects of interest.” Texas Governor Greg Abbott has gone so far as to label the Venezuelan gang a terrorist organization, vowing that the border state will “put them behind bars.”
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