According to a report from the New York Post, young members of the Tren de Aragua gang, who are currently residing in a migrant shelter funded by New York City, are reportedly engaging in armed robberies in Times Square without being caught.
The Tren de Aragua gang is notorious in Venezuela for their involvement in various criminal activities, including human smuggling, drug and sex trafficking, as well as armed robbery and extortion.
According to top police officials, a group of asylum-seeking migrants, including children as young as 11 years old, have been involved in a series of robberies in New York City. These incidents have reportedly escalated from purse snatchings to armed robberies, with both tourists and locals being targeted.
According to NYPD Detective Bureau Assistant Chief Jason Savino, the New York City police are grappling with a surge in violent crime linked to gang members.
However, their efforts to apprehend young Tren de Aragua members are hindered by the legal leniency associated with their age, allowing them to evade incarceration.
According to Savino, over 20 gang members have been spotted loitering around the migrant shelter and Times Square. Shockingly, these individuals have been connected to a staggering 50 distinct crimes. However, it is concerning that none of them have faced any consequences for their actions.
Government officials and law enforcement have revealed that members of the Tren de Aragua gang have been disguising themselves in order to blend in with other asylum-seekers while unlawfully crossing the southern border into the United States since 2022.
According to a report by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in September, Tren de Aragua gang members have been implicated in over 100 criminal cases nationwide.
In June, a 19-year-old named Bernardo Raul Castro Mata, who was living in a migrant shelter in New York City and identified as a member of the Tren de Aragua gang, confessed to shooting two NYPD officers. The officers had tried to stop him while he was riding his scooter.
According to informants, gang members have been found to smuggle firearms into shelters by hiding them in food delivery packages, thereby evading detection by metal detectors.
Tyrone Muhammad, a former Chicago gang member who served two years in prison for gang-related activities, recently sounded the alarm about the presence of Tren de Aragua gang members on Chicago’s South Side.
He expressed concerns about the possibility of a violent turf war between Black gangs and Venezuelan migrants, emphasizing the potential for bloodshed. This issue echoes the challenges faced by New York City with regards to Tren de Aragua.
Members of the Tren de Aragua gang are reportedly engaging in armed robberies in New York City, according to recent reports.