Source: PATCH, Chicago, Illinois: Recently released records reveal local public safety officials' concerns about a Venezuela-based gang's infiltration of migrant communities in Chicago. No kidding...
Documents obtained through public records requests by a conservative legal nonprofit include new details on the presence of the transnational gang Tren de Aragua, or TdA, among newly arriving immigrants.
"This gang has strong human trafficking operations in Latin America and are likely engaged in sex and labor trafficking in the US," Sgt. Michael Fonseca, of the Cook County Sheriff's Office, said in an October 2023 email to a colleague.
"I know you and I previously discussed the possibility that a criminal network would be operating [within] the newly arrived immigrants and likely would victimize members of that population," Fonseca said. "It appears we have confirmation of that now."
Later that month, police spotted graffiti with a TdA slogan on it on a lamppost near Chicago's Magnificent Mile, according to an FBI alert.
The Tren de Aragua gang, with its origins in Venezuela's Tocorón prison, has expanded to at least 8 states over the past two years. In addition to various forms of trafficking, the gang has been running shoplifting rings and engaging in extortion, according to notes from an FBI briefing distributed to Chicago police.
"They'll be seen dressed like rappers and wearing black & red jerseys like Bulls, Blackhawks or Jordan apparel," it said.
Some members of the gang have tattoos of Michael Jordan, the "Jumpman" logo or his jersey number, reportedly due to the significance of the 23 de Enero neighborhood of the Venezuelan capital. Other common tattoos include an AK-47, paired with a gas mask and a skull in more senior members.
The gang was cited in at least 30 Chicago Police Department arrest reports from January 2023 to September 2024, according to records obtained through the Illinois Freedom of Information Act by the America First Legal Foundation.
That is far more than the two arrests in Chicago linked to the gang that were reported as of September.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, there were just 69 apprehensions of people linked to TdA throughout the entire nation from March 2023 to October 2024. CBP reported four other gangs had larger numbers of members apprehended over the same period.
Though their numbers are uncertain, Chicago police alerts show that officers know where gang members are operating in Chicago.
In a March 2024 list of "problem residences" in the Southwest Side noting locations from where various gangs operate and details like how they use a pulley system to deal drugs from upstairs, the place names are redacted.
But one is described as "suspected Tren de Aragua locations. Home to burglars. Narcotics and gang hangouts."
And in a July 2024 officer safety alert, Chicago police were notified of reports that TdA members had been given a "green light" to attack police in Colorado.
"At this time, there has been no intelligence received indicating direct threats to Law Enforcement in the Chicago area," it said.
"However due to the violent nature of 'Tren De Aragua (TdA)' and recent source reported regarding the potential of violence toward Law Enforcement, Officers are to use caution and tactical awareness when encountering individuals believed to have affiliation with 'Tren de Aragua (TdA).'"
The legal foundation, which is led by senior members of the first Trump administration, also obtained situational reports from Chicago's migrant shelters that were shared with the governor's office.
Those reports include references to "issues of gang recruitment at shelters," but they are not specific to the Venezuelan gang.
TdA's leader is Héctor Rustherford Guerrero Flores, also known as "Niño Guerrero." He escaped capture last year during a major raid on the Tocorón prison, and his current whereabouts are unknown. The State Department has offered a $12 million reward for information leading to the capture of its leaders.
Earlier year, an unlawfully present Venezuelan TdA member named Adelvis Rodriguez-Carmona was arrested in Cicero on gun and driver's licenses charges and later released, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officials.
Illinois' sanctuary state legislation and Chicago's designation as a sanctuary city limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Critics argue it complicates efforts to address the presence of transnational gangs within migrant communities, while supporters say the protections make migrants, who are disproportionately victims of crime, more likely to cooperate with law enforcement.
Rodriguez-Carmona, who was under investigation by Chicago police over possible involvement in a drive-by shooting in Chicago's Little Italy neighborhood, was detained by agents from ICE's Chicago Enforcement and Removal Operations, or ERO, team and slated for deportation. Had he remained in the custody of local law enforcement officers, they would have been prohibited by state law from turning him over to ICE.
“Not only is he a validated member of a transnational street gang, but he also displayed a willingness to unlawfully discharge a firearm in public," said Raymond Hernandez, ERO Chicago assistant field office director. "ERO Chicago will continue to prioritize public safety by removing such threats from our streets.”
Last month in Texas, three TdA members wanted for the murder and aggravated kidnapping of a Venezuelan man were apprehended across multiple states, including Texas and Colorado, according to ICE. One suspect remains at large.
And on Tuesday, INTERPOL officials announced the arrest of Luis Alejandro Ruiz Godoy, a prominent Tren de Aragua gang leader, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was taken into custody last month within two weeks of an urgent alert from Interpol HQ in France that he had been traveling toward the U.S. through Mexico.
“Tren de Aragua has emerged as a significant threat to the United States as it infiltrates migration flows from Venezuela," INTERPOL Washington Acting Director Jeffrey Grimming said in a statement.
"INTERPOL Washington will continue to provide critical intelligence to our police partners across the continent to strengthen border and national security," Grimming said, "ensuring these violent gang members find no safe harbor in our country.”
Officials from the incoming Trump administration have announced plans to intensify immigration enforcement by pressuring sanctuary cities, like Chicago, to comply with federal policies — potentially through measures like withholding federal funds or empowering local law enforcement to take part in deportations.
Gov. JB Pritzker has pledged to sue the federal government if it withholds money in retaliation for his state's sanctuary status.
"You come for my people, you come through me," the governor said.
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