Chairman Green on Tren de Aragua Presence in Tennessee: “The Consequence of Destructive Open-Borders Policies”

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN) issued a statement following reports that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is now warning that the violent Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, is openly operating in the state :

"From day one, the Biden-Harris administration willfully and intentionally threw our borders wide open, gutted interior enforcement, and signaled to the criminal cartels and transnational gangs that they would be able to take advantage of our country with impunity. Tennesseans-and our entire country-shouldn't be forced to live in fear of heinous gangs because of this administration's inability to secure our borders. Thanks to their policies, thousands of Border Patrol agents have been pulled away from securing the border, and ICE agents have been prevented from removing many of those here illegally, including violent criminals."

"This violent and sadistic gang, Tren de Aragua, is now operating in Tennessee and destabilizing our communities. This is the consequence of President Biden, Vice President Harris, and now-impeached DHS Secretary Mayorkas' destructive open-borders policies. I commend the TBI for sounding the alarm as state leaders consider options to address the growing presence of Tren de Aragua in Tennessee. As Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, I will enthusiastically support the incoming Trump-Vance administration's agenda to restore order at our borders, revamp interior enforcement, and bring safety back to our communities."

Background: Transnational gangs like Tren de Aragua, the largest criminal organization in Venezuela, have rapidly expanded their presence and operations in the United States under the Biden-Harris administration.

According to one report, Tren de Aragua, called "MS-13 on steroids" by one federal official, has taken "advantage of the ongoing border crisis and has been able to push members into the United States and beef up its presence in cities nationwide where law enforcement and elected officials are gravely concerned about the type of violence they are seeing… ." Further, members "conceal themselves amongst the general population of Venezuelan immigrants" seeking to enter the United States illegally. Nationwide, law enforcement agencies "have launched more than 100 investigations of crimes tied to suspected members" of the gang. In a recent internal Border Patrol bulletin, agents were warned that more 1,000 members of the gang had infiltrated the United States, and had even been given the "green light" to target members of law enforcement.

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