Victims who fled gang violence in Venezuela sound alarm over Tren de Aragua's presence in US

Over the past few weeks, a number of high-profile violence incidents across the United States have been traced back to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan street gang whose members have been able to enter the country illegally.

Now, victims of the gang who fled the South American nation seeking safety in the US are sounding the alarm over what could happen if they establish a greater presence north of the border.

In an interview with Frontlines' Julio Rosas, immigration lawyer Ronaldo Vasquez said that he's received a growing number of messages from Venezuelans living in the US telling him that "the people we ran from in Venezuela, some very dangerous people, are coming through the border."

He added that even though communication was confidential and anonymous, many were scared to speak out, highlighting the sheer power the gang has over Venezuelans.

One migrant whose friends were "brutally murdered" by Tren de Aragua explained that the gang was "secretly in charge in attacking the civilian population," and used fear tactics to coerce people into voting or acting a certain way, often threatening to kill relatives of those who disobeyed their requests.

"They don't have any morals, or basic concept of respect for human life," he lamented, noting that in Miami, a number of families still send the gang money to prevent them from carrying out their threats on relatives back home.

Another migrant said he was repeatedly blackmailed by a Tren de Aragua member who said all he cared about was money, and would have no problem kidnapping and murdering the man's wife and daughter to get what he wanted.

"These are not your average criminals," he warned. "These are people who are really coming to threaten the national security of this country ... They'll start inconspicuously, and before you know it, they own the city, because the power they have is tremendous."

The gang has been tied to dozens of robberies in New York City and the brutal beating of NYPD officers. Most notably, however, the alleged killer of 22-year-old Georgia nursing student Laken Riley and his brother are also believed to have been members.