HAYS COUNTY, Texas – More than 40 suspected members and associates of the Venezuelan transnational gang Tren De Aragua (TdA) were taken into custody on Tuesday in Hays County, according to a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) news release.
The release states that the FBI gathered information about a potential group of suspected TdA members and the gang’s associates in the county.
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Several law enforcement agencies — including the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Hays County Sheriff’s Office — joined the FBI and obtained a search warrant on a Hays County home, the FBI said Wednesday.
A DPS response team executed the search warrant at the home, which led to the arrests of the suspected TdA members at or near the home.
Among the more than 40 arrests were minors, officials said. The exact number of minors taken into custody is unclear.
According to DPS, there were also narcotics recovered at the home. The FBI said state and federal prosecutors will evaluate whether potential charges would be filed based on evidence found at the home during their subsequent investigations.
On the first day of his presidency, President Donald Trump took a step by designating Tren De Aragua as a terrorist organization. The designation empowered other federal agencies to combat gang activities conducted by members or their potential associates.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott followed suit, declaring the gang a foreign terrorist organization. Abbott also directed DPS to target areas with known TdA activity, the Texas Tribune reported.
Last October, four TdA gang members were arrested in San Antonio as part of a multi-agency operation at a North Side apartment complex.
