The Department of Justice announced federal murder and kidnapping charges against eight individuals alleged to be members of the Venezuelan criminal gang Tren de Aragua. The charges stem from two separate incidents, one near Dallas, Texas, and another in Chicago, Illinois.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that all eight defendants crossed the U.S.-Mexico border between December 2021 and April 2024. He criticized current border policies, asserting that the victims in these cases would still be alive if the defendants had not been allowed to enter the country.
In the Texas case, four men are accused of murdering a father in front of his 13-year-old daughter and 12-year-old nephew. According to U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas, the incident occurred on August 24, 2024. The alleged gang members kidnapped the father and demanded ransom. When he could not pay, they reportedly forced him to jump off a bridge near Dallas, and when he refused and attempted to flee, one of the defendants shot him. A Texas grand jury indicted these four men, along with a fifth individual involved in related crimes, on charges including murder, kidnapping, and ATM jackpotting. Raybould noted that one of the indicted men held a high-ranking position within the gang.
In the separate Chicago case, three alleged Tren de Aragua members are accused of murdering a man in May. U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois detailed that the defendants allegedly abducted the victim while he was walking in a park. They transported him to an apartment where his wrists were bound for several hours. Subsequently, they moved him to an abandoned building, shot him multiple times, and left his body. Boutros also stated that someone associated with the crime later contacted the victim's mother to reveal the location of his body.
FBI Director Kash Patel reported that federal law enforcement has increased arrests of violent gang members. He specifically noted a 519% rise in arrests related to Tren de Aragua since the current administration took office. Tren de Aragua, formed around 2014 within Tocorón Prison in Venezuela, has evolved into a transnational criminal organization. U.S. authorities have linked the gang to sex trafficking, drug trafficking, kidnappings, and murders. The State Department has designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization since February 2025.