During a state budget meeting last month, David Rausch, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, informed Gov. Bill Lee that Tren de Aragua (TdA), a vicious Venezuelan prison gang, is working “in all of our major cities.” They start with human trafficking operations. We are now discussing with our peers across the country that they have a road to further violence.”
In reaction, Gov. Bill Lee, a staunch backer of border security efforts, issued a statement on X, stating, “The border crisis is precisely why Americans voted for change.” It isn’t political; it’s about safety and security. “TN will support @realdonaldtrump as he secures our border and provides critical resources for @TBInvestigation to prevent illegal criminals from operating in our state.”
Tennessee has long cooperated with Texas’ border security effort, Operation Lone Star. Earlier this year, Texas Governor Greg Abbott designated TdA as a foreign terrorist group, and the Texas Department of Public Safety began developing a database to track TdA members, characterizations, and arrests. There are currently no such databases at the local, state, or federal levels.
TdA members are known for violence, having been charged with murder, kidnapping, extortion, bribery, and human and drug trafficking, as well as being tied to over 100 law enforcement investigations around the country, according to The Center Square.
The Center Square said that they have been linked to ATM and bank thefts, carjackings, execution-style murders, and assaults on women and children throughout Texas. Texas law enforcement authorities have apprehended over 3,000 Venezuelan unlawful border crossers, with more than 200 still wanted, according to Abbott. Multiple agencies are making arrests in major Texas cities for kidnapping, homicide, narcotics, and human trafficking.
TdA crime has increased statewide as more than one million Venezuelans were recorded illegally entering the country during the Biden administration, according to The Center Square.
Rausch has raised concerns after TBI was involved in TdA arrests over the last year.
Prior to Thanksgiving, he announced a combined investigation combining the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, the Chattanooga Police Department, the state’s Human Trafficking Task Force, and Homeland Security Investigations, which resulted in the arrest of four individuals, including a TdA member. They were allegedly involved in a sex trafficking network that operated from a local hotel. The confirmed TdA member is also suspected of violent crimes in Chicago and New York City, according to the TBI.
When announcing the arrest, Chattanooga Police Chief John Chambers stated, “I want to make it very clear that CPD has no issues with our Latino community members in Chattanooga; CPD and its officers are focused on criminal activity, not ethnicity.”
Rausch explained that what distinguishes TdA is their ability to move around. “They remain transient until they find comfort. If they get into a situation where they believe they can operate with impunity, they will begin to dig their heels in, as we have seen in certain other areas. What we’re attempting to do, and my goal in releasing this material, was to make sure that everyone in Tennessee realizes that we’re not going to let them establish a foothold here.”
In March, the TBI stated that an investigation into an international criminal organization tied to human trafficking in Middle Tennessee has resulted in the arrest of a second alleged trafficker in Murfreesboro. The TBI collaborated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Metro Nashville Police Department, and the United States Marshals Service to make the second arrest.
The investigation began last fall, when TBI Human Trafficking Unit special agents discovered a trafficking network that reportedly recruited women from Central and South America to the United States and compelled them to perform commercial sex acts to repay their travel debts. One of the accused traffickers was apprehended last year.
Rausch’s warning led other local jurisdictions to issue statements. The Metro Nashville Police Department stated, “This department is well aware of Tren de Aragua and the criminal activity associated with its members.” We are more aware of any such action that occurs here.”
The Knoxville Police Department and Knox County Sheriff’s Office stated that they had not identified TdA members but were closely monitoring their regions. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said there was no evidence that TdA members were operating in the county.
The Memphis Police Department confirmed TDA activity. It stated: “There have been two incidences in Memphis involving Venezuelan gang activities. at 2023, cops discovered graffiti in the Appling Farms Station neighborhood. Furthermore, on November 19th, 2024, ICE ERO detained Luis Alejandro RUIZ-GODOY, who had outstanding warrants from INTERPOL. He was sent to Louisiana for deportation. Investigators from the Memphis Police Department have been and will continue to communicate with our local, state, and federal colleagues about any new developments involving Venezuelan gangs.”
According to the Chattanooga Police Department, “there was no evidence to indicate that the gang is actively operating in our city.” Two weeks later, TBI and CPD announced a multi-operation to apprehend sex traffickers, including a TdA member.
