The notorious Venezuelan criminal gang Tren de Aragua is now reportedly operating in 16 states across the U.S., including Colorado, Tennessee, and New York.
According to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security memo seen by The New York Post, members of the group, which initially hit headlines following issues in Aurora, Colorado, have rapidly set up bases across the country.
Last week, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) said TdA was on a path of "more violence" across the state.
"This violent and sadistic gang, Tren de Aragua, is now operating in Tennessee and destabilizing our communities," House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green said in a press release.
"This is the consequence of President Biden, Vice President Harris, and now-impeached DHS Secretary Mayorkas' destructive open-borders policies."
According to the Post, TdA has now also been linked to California, Nevada, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Illinois, Wisconsin, Wyoming and Montana.
Some of those states have reported TdA activity, while Newsweek has not been able to officially confirm others.
DHS and its immigration enforcement agencies, along with the Department of Justice, have spoken about the gang's alleged crimes, but the federal government has not openly stated all locations where TdA is operating.
Newsweek reached out to DHS for comment Wednesday morning via email.
What does Tren de Aragua translate to in English?
Tren de Aragua literally translates into English as Aragua Train.
The transnational gang started in the Venezuelan state of Aragua, initially as a worker's union, but has spread throughout South and Central America.
It has been linked to human and drug trafficking, violent assaults and prostitution rings.
In its operations in the U.S., it is believed its members mainly target other Venezuelan migrants, although some members have been linked to recent murders, including Jocelyn Nungaray in Texas and Laken Riley in Georgia.
Where is the Venezuelan gang operating in Tennessee?
According to TBI Director David Rausch, the gang is operating in every major city in Tennessee.
He told the state's Governor Bill Lee that TdA was running human trafficking operations, years after first being detected in the state.
"Now what we are seeing is they are back," the director said. "We are now, talking with our peers throughout the country, have learned that they have a pathway to more violence."
Where is the Venezuelan gang operating in Colorado?
One of the most recent cases of the gang's impact came in Aurora, Colorado, where apartment buildings were "overrun" with Tren de Aragua's members.
The city, close to Denver, entered the national spotlight after a video showed members breaking down an apartment door, holding a rifle.
Aurora's mayor told Newsweek at the time that the issue had been blown out of proportion, but then Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump visited for a rally in the final weeks of the campaign, branding his mass deportation plan as "Operation Aurora".
Other reports suggested TdA had made Denver one of its U.S. bases.
Where is the Venezuelan gang operating in Texas?
In September, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a proclamation declaring TdA a foreign terrorist organization, meaning the Texas Department of Public Safety can mobilize strike teams against members.
While the state did not have a database of known members at the time, Abbott vowed to make one, saying the gang had been operating there since 2021.
In El Paso, a hotel was shut down due to criminal activity, of which some were linked to TdA, while two Venezuelans accused of killing 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray were reportedly tied to the gang.
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