Notorious Venezuelan crime syndicate Tren de Aragua (TdA) is recruiting child gang members from migrant shelters to carry out criminal activity, according to the New York Police Department.
TdA has been thrust into the national spotlight after footage emerged of armed gang members storming an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado.
The gang is said to have recruited children as young as 11 in New York, known as the "Little Devils of 42nd Street," who have robbed valuables at gunpoint and assaulted police officers.
"We have 39 members of TdA that have been identified, and we have an additional four members that have been identified of a subgroup called Little Devils of 42nd Street. Those are much younger kids," the NYPD chief of detectives Joseph Kenny told CBS News.
According to the NYPD, gang members are reportedly recruiting children from migrant shelters and have blended in with asylum seekers who began arriving there.
"Once they commit their crimes, they go back to the migrant community, where they assimilate themselves with people that are actually here obeying the laws," Kenny said.
Kenny alleged that children had committed robberies in shops, stolen jewelry, watches and smartphones from members of the public using firearms and knives, and had even fired at police officers.
There were more than 300 incidents last year and more than 800 so far this year, according to CBS News.
"When we do make arrests and we're able to charge them on four, five, six incidents, when they go before a judge in New York City, and their arrest record is run, they show no prior criminal history," Kenny said. "They're released on their own recognizance. They're not offered bail and they're released back into the public."
The NYPD's warning follows a statement from Homeland Security officials last week, revealing that the Venezuelan gang has spread and established a presence in 16 states across the U.S.
According to reports, 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.
Who Is Tren de Aragua?
TdA, a transnational criminal organization formed in a Venezuelan prison, is gaining traction within the criminal landscape of gang activity.
U.S. Border Patrol reported substantial apprehensions among TdA gang members in FY2023 (41) and FY2024 (23), suggesting a rise in its activity in the U.S.
President-elect Donald Trump claimed that Aurora was "overrun" by gang members; however, the allegation was denied by Aurora Mayor Michael Coffman, who described it as "exaggerated."
"I'm not dismissing the concerns at all, but whatever happened initially happened. What I can tell you now is that the gangs are not in control of either complex," Coffman previously told Newsweek.
The transnational criminal gang focuses on human trafficking and other abuses targeting vulnerable migrants. The gang is accused of smuggling women and girls for sexual exploitation.
They have been connected to a string of high-profile crimes in recent months, including taking over a hotel in El Paso and the murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray.
Nungaray was killed in Houston in June, with officials announcing that the suspects were in the U.S. illegally. It later emerged the pair were known members of the Venezuelan criminal gang.
The gang is believed to have about 5,000 members and rakes in annual profits between $10 and $15 million, according to a report by Telemundo.
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