Latest news with #Ex-venezuelan
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Blue sanctuary state operating as ‘control' center for vicious migrant gang: acting DEA chief
Lax immigration policies in deep blue Colorado are helping Tren de Aragua, one of the most vicious migrant gangs in America, to use the state as a "command and control" center, according to the acting head of the DEA. A representative for the DEA Rocky Mountain Division confirmed with Fox News statements by DEA Acting Administrator Derek Maltz on local outlet Denver 7, in which Maltz said Colorado is "ground zero for some of the most violent criminals in America," including Tren de Aragua's leadership. Tren de Aragua – also known by its acronym "TdA" – is a violent Venezuelan criminal group that has been linked to some of the most egregious crimes in America in recent years, including the murder of nursing student Laken Riley and the capturing of an apartment building in Aurora, Colorado. On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the State Department to designate TdA a "foreign terrorist organization." 'On Notice': Ex-venezuelan Military Official Applauds Trump's 'First Good Step' Targeting Bloodthirsty Gang "Now, we are learning that the command and control for TdA in the entire United States of America is right here in Colorado," Maltz told the outlet. Read On The Fox News App He said this information was based on new intelligence from the "men and women on the front lines and what we're seeing." Maltz said the laws of Democratic-run Colorado have allowed TdA and other criminals to "take advantage of vulnerabilities and weaknesses" to perpetuate their crimes. "Anybody that thinks it's a good idea to open up the border to adversaries around the world and then not even know who they are coming into our communities, it makes no sense," he said, adding, "People in this state have allowed illegal violent criminals in here at record levels." 'Bring It On': Sheriff Pushes Back After Blue State Leaders Sue To Stop Immigration Enforcement Maltz called on state leaders to stop playing politics and instead help take violent criminal immigrants off the streets. "The politics have to stop. This is not a red or blue issue, this is a red, white and blue issue," he said. "We have to start thinking about our citizens first." Maltz also had some very pointed words for those criticizing or attempting to stand in the way of the federal government's immigration crackdown. "Why don't you thank law enforcement instead of being 'Monday morning quarterbacks' sitting at home and being critics?" he asked. "Why don't you ask the politicians in the state of Colorado why they are not uniting, why they are fighting the force of good that's going after evil?" 'Closing Time': White House, Border Patrol Troll With Deportation Meme Video "Wake up, pay attention," he went on. "Talk to the citizens that can't go out of their house at night when gunshots are going off, talk to people that are being extorted, talk to people that are being kidnapped and raped, talk to people that are being impacted every day." Despite the criticism, Maltz said the federal government is "connecting the dots" and taking a "whole of government" approach to finally crack down on TdA and other migrant criminals, regardless of Colorado's laws. Click Here For More Immigration Coverage "I'm proud to report that right now, the cartels, the MS-13, the violent gangs like Tren de Aragua, they're going to be held accountable, and they're already being held accountable," he said. 'Safer Without Him': Columbia Student Claims Classmate Arrested By Ice 'Hates America' "I've got a warning for the TdA members," he added, "start running now." "The team of the DEA, working with their partners from FBI, ATF, HSI, ICE ERO and our state and local counterparts, it's a team that takes public safety and national security serious and they've already proven what they can do," he said. "So they better go and find another state because they are not welcome here in Colorado." Click Here For More Immigration Coverage Colorado's two Democratic senators, Michael Bennett and John Hickenlooper, did not respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment by the time of publication. Mexican Immigration Activist Who Hid In Colorado Church For Years To Avoid Deportation Arrested By Ice Eric Maruyama, a representative for Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, responded to Maltz's statements by telling Fox News Digital that the state "works with the DEA all the time on criminal investigations and to apprehend violent offenders and fugitives whether they are here legally or illegally." Maruyama instead placed the blame for the crisis on the federal government, saying, "The reality is that Congress and the federal government for years have failed to fix our broken immigration system, secure our border, and create pathways to citizenship for people." "Gov. Polis is focused on improving public safety and has signed comprehensive laws to crack down on illegal gun crimes, get fentanyl off the streets, and recruit and retain more law enforcement," he claimed. "When it comes to criminal investigations or prosecutions, Colorado works closely with all federal partners, in accordance with state and federal law, to fight crime and enhance public safety."Original article source: Blue sanctuary state operating as 'control' center for vicious migrant gang: acting DEA chief
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump admin reveals list of cartels and gangs to be designated terrorist organizations
The Trump administration sent a list of over half a dozen drug cartels to Congress last week that it plans to designate as foreign terrorist organizations, Fox News confirmed on Tuesday. The list sent to Congress includes the international Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua – Spanish for "Train from Aragua" – that has ties to the socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro and has been terrorizing U.S. cities in recent months. Other groups included in the Trump administration's list are the Salvadoran gang Mara Salvatrucha – also known as MS-13 – as well as several Mexican cartels, including the Sinaloa, Jalisco, Zetas, the Gulf Cartels, Cartel Unidos and "La Nueva Familia Michoacana." 'Weaponized Migration': Us Faces Deadly Consequences With Maduro In Power, Venezuelan Opposition Warns The New York Times reported last week that the State Department has already informed several congressional committees of the organizations it plans to designate as terror groups. This comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office to direct the State Department and other executive agencies to move to designate cartels and other criminal groups as foreign terrorist organizations. Read On The Fox News App The order specifically mentioned Tren de Aragua – which is also known as "TdA" – as well MS-13 as groups needing to be designated as terror organizations. It gave Secretary of State Marco Rubio 14 days to make policy recommendations – in consultation with the secretaries of the Treasury and Homeland Security as well as the U.S. attorney general and director of national intelligence – to make a recommendation regarding the designation of criminal groups to be designated as terrorist organizations. 'On Notice': Ex-venezuelan Military Official Applauds Trump's 'First Good Step' Targeting Bloodthirsty Gang A foreign terrorist designation expands the government's ability to crack down on criminal groups operating in the U.S., allowing all government agencies, including the Department of the Treasury, to target that group from every angle. Click Here For More Immigration Coverage The order states that these groups "present an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States," and invokes the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEP) to declare a national emergency to "deal with those threats." "It is the policy of the United States to ensure the total elimination of these organizations' presence in the United States and their ability to threaten the territory, safety, and security of the United States through their extraterritorial command-and-control structures, thereby protecting the American people and the territorial integrity of the United States," reads the order. Trump Greenlights Some Pro-immigrant Moves Amid Broader Anti-migrant Crackdown At the time, Joseph Humire, executive director of the Center for a Secure Free Society, who in 2024 authored a report on how to dismantle TdA, explained to Fox News Digital that designating these groups as foreign terrorist organizations places them "at the highest level" of U.S. national security interest, meaning their funding and any organizations enabling them can be targeted as well. "Trump just put all of them on notice," said Humire. "This said: 'We know you're here; we know you're up to no good and we're going to come after you.'"Original article source: Trump admin reveals list of cartels and gangs to be designated terrorist organizations
