Four confirmed members of Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua have been captured, according to Gov. Greg Abbott.
The four men were arrested as they attempted to cross the Texas-Mexico border in Val Verde County on New Year’s Eve. They were part of a larger group of 22 illegal aliens from Columbia, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela.
Nine of the 22 were from Venezuela.
Following interviews with Texas Department of Public Safety officers, immigration authorities discovered that four of the group were gang members based on tattoo markings.
Suspicions were confirmed after phone searches revealed gang affiliation.
Two of the four—Antonio Joe Urruttia-Rojas and Levi Jesus Urrutia-Blanco—are 18 years old. Pedro Luis Salazar-Cuervo is 27 and Segundo Ocando-Mejia is 39.
“Our top priority is the safety and security of Texans, including against the growing threat of Tren de Aragua,” Abbott stated.
“Until President Trump is back in the White House to secure our border, Texas will continue to hunt down dangerous criminals like TdA and put them behind bars to protect Texans from this vicious gang,” he continued.
In September 2024, Abbott designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization. He also directed DPS to change the organization’s status to a Tier 1 gang and create a strike team to target its members.
“I have ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to launch a statewide operation directly targeting Tren de Aragua to deter and disrupt their criminal operation,” Abbott said at the time. “I am also officially designating Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization.”
The governor emphasized that Texas is the “wrong state” for Tren de Aragua to operate in.
