Federal agents have dealt a significant blow to the violent Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang, a ruthless group of migrants exploiting America’s broken immigration system.
A December 5 raid by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the NYPD led to the arrest of seven gang members holed up in a Bronx apartment, as reported by The New York Post.
The raid was triggered after authorities tracked an ankle monitor worn by 28-year-old Venezuelan national Jarwin Valero-Calderon, who has a long history of arrests, convictions, and blatant disregard for the law.
Celebrate Trump’s Historic 2024 Victory with the Exclusive Trump 47th President Collection!
“Better late than never,” a law enforcement source remarked, questioning why Valero-Calderon was free despite numerous arrests, a federal deportation order, and convictions. “This is what actual supervised release looks like? The thing about ankle monitors is you have to actually monitor them to be effective.”
The raid highlights the dangerous foothold TdA has established in New York City. This gang, infamous for its violent crimes and illegal enterprises, slipped into the U.S. with the asylum-seeking migrant wave in 2022.
BREAKING: Law enforcement tracked an ankle monitor to a Bronx apartment, leading to the arrest of 22 members of the Venezuelan gang ‘Tren de Aragua.’
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) December 20, 2024
John Fabbricatore, a former ICE chief in Denver, warned of TdA’s growing influence: “What we’re seeing is this evolution of Tren de Aragua, where they’ve gone into these sanctuary cities.”
“They’ve started to solidify themselves and then they throw tentacles out to multiple other locations where they think that they can continue to make money. I think people are finally starting to realize how bad the situation has gotten.”
Among the gang members arrested was 24-year-old Jhonaiker Alexander Gil Cardozo, a Venezuelan who crossed the border in El Paso in September 2022.
Cardozo amassed four arrests in two states, including charges of grand larceny, reckless endangerment, and robbery. He even managed to rack up shoplifting charges in South Carolina before returning to New York.
Another detainee, 30-year-old Jesus Manuel Quintero Granado, entered the U.S. in 2022 with his wife and child. After Canada rejected their asylum claims, the family was sent back to the U.S., where Quintero Granado racked up multiple arrests for theft and grand larceny in New York and New Jersey.
Nineteen-year-old Angel Gabriel Marquez Rodriguez, arrested in the raid, followed a similar pattern. After crossing the border in 2023, he quickly compiled a rap sheet in Chicago and New York for shoplifting and larceny.
Indeed, why was Jarwin Valero-Calderon free despite at least three busts, a Nassau County conviction and a federal deportation order?https://t.co/f9oSupCzMA
— Johnny V (@jvman588) December 20, 2024
The gang’s criminal reach isn’t limited to adults. TdA’s juvenile offshoot, known as the “Diablos de la 42” or “Devils of 42nd Street,” includes members as young as 11.
These “tiny terrors” have been involved in a string of Times Square robberies, exploiting New York’s soft-on-crime juvenile justice laws to evade serious consequences.
Valero-Calderon, the fugitive whose GPS monitor led agents to the gang, exemplifies the chaos wrought by lax immigration enforcement. After entering the U.S. in 2022, he was released with a court date and promptly began a spree of larceny and fraud across multiple states.
Even after being marked a fugitive and ordered deported in April 2023, he remained free, committing more crimes until the December raid finally landed him behind bars.
This bust highlights the consequences of reckless immigration policies and so-called sanctuary city protections. While federal and local law enforcement scored a victory against TdA, the gang’s rapid rise underscores the urgent need for stronger border security and a no-nonsense approach to criminal migrants.
The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of RVM News. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.
Source: https://www.rvmnews.com/2024/12/gps-monitor-leads-feds-to-tren-de-aragua-gang-hideout-watch/
.
