Former President Donald Trump announced “Operation Aurora,” aimed at expediting the removal of “every criminal network operating” in the United States, such as the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang.
During a rally in Aurora, Colorado, on Friday, Trump explained that if elected president, he would invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 in order to “target and dismantle” all criminal networks operating in the country. Trump added during his speech that the border would be sealed, and the illegal immigration “invasion” would be stopped.
“In honor of Jocelyn Nungaray, Laken Riley — beautiful Laken — Rachel Morin, and all of the others that are dead, and/or mortally wounded at the hands of migrants who should never have been allowed into our country, I’m announcing today, that upon taking office, we will have an Operation Aurora at the federal level to expedite the removals of these savage gangs,” Trump announced. “And, I will invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 — think of that, 1798, this was put there 1798, that’s a long time ago.”
Trump added that as part of invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, “every migrant criminal network operating on American soil” would be targeted and dismantled.
“We will begin the task of finding and deporting every single illegal alien gang member from our country. We’ll get them out. This will be a major national undertaking,” Trump added, noting that “newly published data” from ICE shows that there are now “13,099 illegal aliens convicted of murder” who had been allowed into the U.S.
As Breitbart News’s Neil Munro has previously reported, ICE revealed in a letter to Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-TX), which was obtained by Fox News, that as of July 21, 2024, there were roughly “662,566 noncitizens with criminal histories” currently on “ICE’s national docket.” This number included migrants who were “detained by ICE, and on the agency’s non-detained docket.”
In the letter to Gonzalez, ICE explained that out of this number, there were 435,719 illegal migrants who were “convicted criminals,” which includes 13,099 murderers who were not detained, Fox News reported:
Your letter requests the number of noncitizens on ICE’s docket convicted or charged with a crime. As of July 21, 2024, there were 662,566 noncitizens with criminal histories on ICE’s national docket, which includes those detained by ICE, and on the agency’s non-detained docket. Of those, 435,719 are convicted criminals, and 226,847 have pending criminal charges.
During his speech, Trump referenced an article from the New York Times regarding how TdA gang members were sneaking into the U.S. “among the millions of migrants who have crossed the border,” adding that the gang was “peddling drugs, guns, and women” throughout the nation.
“In Colorado, the gang even got a green light to shoot police officers,” Trump added. “Did you know that the gang got the okay to kill your police?” Trump asked. “By the way, that’s the New York Times, not me.”
The Tren de Aragua gang is described as a transnational crime organization, which is known for engaging in criminal activities such as “homicide, abduction, extortion, drug trafficking, human smuggling, and human trafficking.”
Breitbart News’s Christian Caruzo has previously reported that the Venezuelan gang has terrorized several cities in the U.S. such as Miami, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; and Dallas, Texas; among others:
Authorities from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office in Chicago, Illinois, reportedly confirmed the presence of Tren de Aragua’s gang members in the city since at least October 2023 — weeks after the “raid” of Tocoron.
In the months following the “raid,” other U.S. cities began reporting criminal acts linked to the gang. U.S. authorities have confirmed the active presence of Tren de Aragua in other cities, such as Miami, New York, Dallas, and Atlanta. According to internal documentation from the Department of Homeland Security, Tren de Aragua has given the “green light” to its members to attack U.S. law enforcement officers.
In September, the Prairie du Chien Police Department announced that a man “suspected” of being affiliated with TdA had been arrested and charged with the alleged sexual and physical assault of a woman.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has offered a $5,000 reward for any “information that leads to the identification and arrest of known or suspected members” of TdA. Abbott’s announcement of the reward came after he designated the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
