Aurora, Colorado gang members are in US illegally, released under Biden administration: ICE
Fox News' Griff Jenkins reports the latest on the threat.
EXCLUSIVE: America First Legal (AFL), a nonprofit, launched investigations into the Biden-Harris administration on Thursday in response to "growing violent illegal alien gang activity" spreading across parts of Colorado and the Midwest.
The investigations were launched by America First Legal into the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The FOIA requests made by America First Legal come on the heels of 10 Tren de Aragua gang members arrested in Aurora, Colorado after surveillance footage from an overtaken apartment building went viral late last month.
AURORA PD ARRESTS 10 MEMBERS OF TREN DE ARAGUA IN CONNECTION WITH APARTMENT BUILDING TAKEOVERS: STATEMENT
AFL referred to the "recklessness" of the Biden-Harris administration's immigration policies in their investigation release, saying "these gang members would not be present if we had a secure southern border."
"The Biden-Harris administration’s deliberate decision to open our borders to the world is what allowed for violent Venezuelan gangs to run rampant in American communities, said Gene Hamilton, America First Legal Executive Director.
"The crimes committed by these aliens are—by definition—preventable, but this administration has decided to ignore public safety and prioritize the importation of hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens."
The transnational prison gang Tren de Aragua, based in Venezuela, has been linked to human trafficking, illegal drug trafficking, and threatening people with guns. The gang reportedly has about 5,000 members.
America First Legal's investigations focus on Aurora, Colorado as well as parts of Illinois and Wisconsin where TdA activity has been documented.
VENEZUELAN GANG TREN DE ARAGUA TAKE OVER TEXAS HOTEL, COUNTY OFFICIALS WORK TO SHUT DOWN BUSINESS
Their Freedom of Information Act requests date back to January 21, 2021, or the first day of office for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Harris, who was originally touted as the Biden administration's "Border Czar," has distanced herself from the role as she stepped into the role of Democrat nominee.
The suspected Tren de Aragua gang members engaged in illegal activity including illegal dumping and drug use, according to the El Paso County Attorney's Office. (KFOX14/El Paso County Attorney's Office)
"If Border Czar Harris were serious about eliminating the threat of foreign gang behavior in the United States, she would secure the border and deport illegal aliens from the United States. It’s that simple," said America First Legal Executive Director Gene Hamilton.
In February 2021, Kamala Harris was appointed by Joe Biden to head the "Root Causes Strategy," which she said was poised to address why those in Central American countries have been compelled to flee to the United States. As recently as March of this year, the White House stood by this program and Harris' leadership of it.
The apartment building has been completely overrun by the alleged gang members, including changing the locks, according to one resident. (Council member Danielle Jurinsky)
According to the House Committee on Homeland Security, there have been 9.5 million illegal alien encounters since President Biden took office in 2021. Around 1.7 million of those are "gotaways," meaning those who remain in the United States unlawfully.
Of the documented Tren de Aragua gang members arrested in Aurora, two were released despite detention requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Colorado.
Tren de Aragua gang activity has been monitored in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin recently as well: 26-year-old Alejandro Jose Coronel Zarate was arrested last week on domestic battery charges. He was discovered with fake immigration documents and a falsified U.S. Social Security card.
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Tren de Aragua criminal activity may spread as far as five states, including Illinois and Texas.
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