The mayor of Nashville appeared to dodge a reporter's question about the presence of notorious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) in the city at a press conference on Monday.
"Have you heard any word of these members in Nashville?" Freddie Connell, a Democrat who has served as Nashville's 10th mayor since 2023, was asked by FOX17 News. This followed reports of a TdA member being arrested in connection with a human trafficking operation in nearby Chattanooga.
TdA has been thrust into the national spotlight following the release of shocking footage showing armed gang members storming an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado. The notorious gang has been linked to a string of high-profile crimes, including the murders of Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray.
The mayor responded: "What I will say is Chief Drake has advised us, I mean even before the TBI [Tennessee Bureau of Investigation] report, we knew they were active in TN. MNPD [Metropolitan Nashville Police Department] has a very active and successful gang unit and they have continually monitored that activity."
"Right now I think if their investigations are underway we're not gonna know about it but when arrests are made we will all know," he added.
FOX17 News subsequently asked: "But right now you haven't heard of any sightings or arrests?"
The mayor replied: "I will say it this way, I know MNPD of their presence in TN and they're monitoring what the situation looks like in Nashville."
Newsweek has contacted the mayor's office and Metro Police for comment.
The mayor's remarks come after the arrest of a TdA gang member in Chattanooga.
Adelvis Rodriguez-Carmona faces human trafficking charges and is known to have connections with the infamous crime syndicate.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott's press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, told Newsweek the gang has a "target on their back, and the State of Texas is utilizing all available resources to go after them."
Abbott recently moved to have the gang designated as a terrorist organization, boosting the criminal penalties members will face, and announced a $5,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of known or suspected members involved in criminal activity.
TdA, a transnational criminal organization formed in a Venezuelan prison, is gaining traction within the criminal underworld as data suggest an increase in gang activity.
According to the U.S. Border Patrol, 41 TdA gang members were apprehended in fiscal year 2023 and 23 were caught by border officers in fiscal 2024, suggesting a rise in the gang's activities in the U.S.
Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to crack down on criminal gangs after he takes office in January.
The president-elect said notorious crime syndicates and drug kingpins will "never sleep soundly" again.
"The drug cartels are waging war on America—and it's now time for America to wage war on the cartels," Trump said in a statement in 2023. "The drug cartels and their allies in the Biden administration have the blood of countless millions on their hands. Millions and millions of families and people are being destroyed. When I am back in the White House, the drug kingpins and vicious traffickers will never sleep soundly again."
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