Violent Venezuelan gang infiltrates every major city in Tennessee



The vicious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua has infiltrated every major city in Tennessee, according to state officials.

TDA has been tied to criminal activity across the United States, including apartment takeovers in Aurora, Colorado, and violent crimes in New York City and Dallas, Texas. Thus far, the gang has primarily, but not exclusively, focused on expanding its presence in sanctuary jurisdictions, where local law enforcement agencies are forbidden to cooperate with federal immigration officials.

'They will not hesitate to attack their opponents in public and in broad daylight.'

During a budget meeting this week, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation director David Rausch warned Governor Bill Lee (R) that TDA has recently become a growing threat in the state.

According to Rausch, the gang started to appear in Tennessee two years ago, but its influence has substantially expanded over the past few months. He noted that TDA is active in Memphis and Nashville.

"We first saw them a couple years ago where we uncovered a group here in a human trafficking operation," Rausch explained. "We recognized a number of the members here trafficking females that they had abducted from Venezuela and brought them here."

The bureau successfully captured several individuals involved in the illicit operation, but "many of them fled" out of Tennessee, Rausch said.

"Now what we are seeing is they are back. They are back in all of our major cities," he declared.

When TDA arrives in a new area, it starts by running trafficking operations, then expands into other criminal activities, including organized retail theft and drug trafficking, Rausch told Lee.

He expressed concerns about TDA's brazenness and its targeting of cartel members.

"They will, and they have taken on the cartel head-on, and they're very violent in their efforts," Rausch continued. "They will not hesitate to attack their opponents in public and in broad daylight."

"Recently, there was a video that they shot where they shot an individual, a cartel member, 31 times. Broad daylight, on video, and posted it to social media," he stated.

Rausch did not share how many TDA gang members he believes are in the state but noted that "they're in numbers here."

According to Straight Arrow News, the Knoxville Police Department is unaware of any TDA activity in the area.

The Department of Homeland Security has reportedly identified more than 600 individuals in the U.S. with ties to TDA, Blaze News previously reported. The federal government has confirmed the gang's activity in at least 15 states, and it may have expanded to another eight.

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Cover-up? What Aurora officials already knew about rising Venezuelan gang violence



City officials in Aurora, Colorado, repeatedly denied the growing threat of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua despite apparent early warnings, according to emails obtained by Aurora City Council member Danielle Jurinsky.

In a Wednesday post on X, Jurinsky shared an internal Aurora Police Department email dated November 16, 2023, from Gang Intervention Unit Officer Matthew Walters to Chief of Police Chris Poppe and several other colleagues.

'The liberal media and some politicians want you to believe that it is okay for people to live like this because it's just a handful of apartment complexes and not the entire city of Aurora.'

Walters explained that he had attached a "Gang Unit Bulletin" on TDA, which he planned to share with the entire department the following day. He noted that the announcement included information provided to him by a Homeland Security Investigations sergeant and an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, according to a photo of the email.

The ICE officer "stated TdA has decided to make Denver their headquarters due to sanctuary policies and location," Walters apparently wrote.

Poppe replied, asking Walters, "Is there any Aurora-centric info that could be included in the bulletin? Known addresses, or hangouts, or specifics cops should be aware of?"

In another X post, Jurinsky leaked a June 30 department email regarding an incident at Whispering Pines Apartments, owned by CBZ Management. According to the correspondence, a cleaning crew worker reported being "threatened ... to give up the keys to the vacant apartments … so that a group of Venezuelans could move people into" the complex.

"Suspects left but not before warning her to comply or else they would kill her and her family," the email continued, according to the photo.

The suspects reportedly stated that they had the building "under surveillance and that they had over 200 people working for them."

"I would highly recommend you guys to take 2-3 friends with you when responding to any calls there," the department email added.

In an email, Major Crime Homicide Unit Sergeant Jeff Longnecker stated, "I would be happy to go over this case with anyone that still denies this is a major problem."

Longnecker was referring to a murder, but it is not clear from the email which case precisely.

He expressed frustration that multiple agencies appeared to have opened criminal investigations into TDA, but "nobody seems to be able to work with each other."

"As soon as this group kills an innocent person all hell is going to break lose and I would hate for us all to be exposed for not sharing information with each other and/or not being able to show that we have dedicated proactive units and investigative units directly impacting this problem," Longnecker wrote.

Jurinsky torched some city leaders for downplaying the severity of the situation.

In a separate post on X, she stated, "The liberal media and some politicians want you to believe that it is okay for people to live like this because it's just a handful of apartment complexes and not the entire city of Aurora. I ask again what the threshold is for these 'leaders' to care?"

CBZ Management wrote in a post on social media this week, "The police knew about the TDA gangs taking over our properties - as early as Sept 22, 2023 - and didn't warn us! Worse, they put the onus of security on our employees without us knowing the danger!"

The company shared another leaked internal department email dated September 2023, with the subject line "Tren de Aragua."

"According to interviews from residence [sic] Tren de Aragua is working out of Aurora and residing in our city," the sergeant's email apparently read.

Ryan Luby, a city of Aurora spokesperson, told the Denver Gazette, "We must remember that police departments and the justice system as a whole must rely on admissible evidence, not hearsay, rumors and fragments of information."

"Contrary to claims made on social media and by select news organizations, the city, including APD, has remained consistent in responses on this matter," Luby wrote in a Thursday statement to the news outlet.

Luby also pushed back on CBZ Management, telling the Denver Gazette, "Instead of expending the resources to address the documented issues, CBZ and its stakeholders have hired a team of attorneys and, as we learned today, a Florida-based public relations firm to engage in diversionary tactics, fight the city in its city charter-mandated duties to enforce city code, and alternative narratives with many of you."

Governor Jared Polis' office told the news outlet that the governor's office is "committed to supporting local law enforcement and their work to keep our communities safe."

Polis previously called TDA's takeover of apartment complexes "largely a feature of Danielle Jurinsky's imagination."

"The state was first notified by Homeland Security in late July that they were monitoring activity in Aurora, the state then immediately reached out to the city of Aurora, including the Governor reaching out to the Mayor, to offer any assistance needed," the governor's office told the Denver Gazette. "When Governor Polis met with Mayor Coffman in late July, we were informed that the city did not have a strong criminal case yet and the state offered dedicated investigative support in the form of Troopers and CBI agents to work cases, and DHSEM provided analysts to support investigations to identify and arrest known criminal gang elements."

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Venezuelan gangs getting away scot-free, NYPD says: 'Every single one of them is on the streets today'



New York Police Department Detective Bureau Assistant Chief Jason Savino warned that young and violent members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua are not facing any real consequences for their criminal actions in the Big Apple.

During a Tuesday interview with WNYW, Savino explained that the transnational gang has a significant presence in the Times Square area, particularly around the former Roosevelt Hotel turned immigrant shelter. He warned that the violent group has even started recruiting children.

'It's a product of bail reform.'

Savino stated that the police department is aware that the group has gotten its hands on many firearms, as evidenced by photographs posted online by alleged gang members.

He described TDA as "tremendously brazen" and "absolutely ruthless."

"Individuals ... have committed a multitude of crimes with basically no repercussions," Savino told WNYW.

The assistant chief explained that in the New York City area, the group started out as a robbery crew.

"Twenty individuals arrested for upwards of 50 robberies," Savino said. "And out of those 20 individuals, every single one of them is on the streets today."

According to Savino, the young gang members are not facing consequences because of their age and bail reforms.

"We put a lot on our DA [Alvin Bragg]; we have to look at our judges as well," he added.

As the gang has continued to establish itself in the city, its recruiting process has become more organized, he added.

"Formerly, it was kind of scattered all over the place," Savino said of TDA's recruiting efforts. "But now we're seeing that structure where there's actually kick-ups where people are recruiting these young members — as young as 11, and they've been described in some of these robbery incidents as young as eight years old."

Savino is deeply concerned there will soon be a gang war because the TDA subset in Times Square, which refers to itself as "Los Diablos de la 42" or "Little Devils on 42nd Street," has "called out" the Latin Kings, one of the city's most notorious gang.

"It's a recipe for potential disaster," Savino told WNYW.

He told the New York Post that the gang is communicating with one another using group chats "on their government-issued phones."

"It's a product of bail reform," Savino added. "We tried to try some in criminal court, somewhat unsuccessfully."

Bragg's office did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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KAMALA’S AMERICA: Venezuelan gangs in 11 STATES — and counting



Migrants have flooded into America under the Biden administration’s watch, and now American citizens are reaping the not-so-great consequences.

In a shocking report from Chicago, emergency dispatch received 911 calls reporting 32 Venezuelan gang members trespassing in the courtyard of an apartment building on the South Side of Chicago, brandishing weapons.

Similar reports are being made in Aurora, Colorado.

“This is America in 2024, under Joe Biden and ‘border czar’ Kamala Harris,” Sara Gonzales of “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered” comments, disturbed. “Seems to be what happens when we open the border and welcome anyone in.”

As the Venezuelan gangs take hold of buildings in Chicago and Aurora, American gang members have been sending warnings via TikTok. One video shows a man with head tattoos with his face-tattooed friend “Big Mod,” driving around with a speaker phone telling the foreigners that they “invented gang violence.”

“When you have the gang members who are like ‘we’re taking America back, baby, we ain’t letting them in here,’ you know something’s gone awry,” Gonzales comments.

While Gonzales isn’t happy that American cities are being overrun by gangs of illegal immigrants, she does see a silver lining.

“I don’t like that this is happening, but if it’s going to happen, nine weeks before an election where people have to make a choice who they want to lead the country and their vision for the future of the country is not a terrible time for Venezuelan gangs to start taking over random cities,” she explains.

In addition, new reports claim that 75% of arrests in Midtown Manhattan are now of illegal immigrants, and places like Connecticut are also being warned of the presence of these Venezuelan gangs.

The gang has reportedly flooded into 11 different states, and a thousand members have made it into the country illegally.

“Coming soon to a state near you,” Gonzales says, “Venezuelan gang members taking over your apartment complexes. This is America. Do you want better? Do you want different? Go to the polls in November.”


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Armed men storm through Colorado apartment complex taken over by Tren de Aragua amid city’s growing gang problem



A video from an Aurora, Colorado, apartment shows a group of men with firearms storming through the complex, which has reportedly been taken over by Tren de Aragua, a violent Venezuelan gang.

The footage, obtained by KDVR, shows five men, four of whom were carrying guns, pounding on the door to a residence at the Edge at Lowry. Moments later, the door appears to open from the inside before the men enter the apartment.

'Nobody is helping the Americans that are trapped in these apartment complexes.'

A separate video taken at what seems to be an earlier time captured two men standing outside the same residence. One of the men can be seen using a hammer to destroy the door's deadbolt lock.

Between the two videos, the apartment door appears to have been replaced.

KDVR reported that illegal immigrants have taken over the complex. Since then, the property has become a hotspot for criminal activity.

According to the residents who captured the videos, a shootout occurred at the complex shortly before the footage of the armed men was taken. The incident left one individual seriously injured, and several vehicles were damaged.

Former residents Cindy and Edward Romero told KDVR that living at the Aurora complex had become "a nightmare."

The Romeros' vehicle was riddled with bullets from a shootout that occurred earlier this month.

The couple stated that they had trouble getting local organizations to assist them with moving out but were ultimately able to leave, thanks to Aurora City Council member Danielle Jurinsky.

Jurinsky told KDVR, "The city nonprofits have lined up to help the migrants that have come here but nobody is helping the Americans that are trapped in these apartment complexes."

"This isn't just Americans. Other Venezuelans are being extorted by this gang," she added.

According to Jurinsky, TDA has overrun the apartment complex.

Jurinsky told Fox News Digital, “In the entire Denver metro area, it has been like pulling teeth to get anyone, the media, other elected officials, to get anyone to acknowledge the presence of this trend and to acknowledge that there is even a problem.”

Aurora previously passed a resolution stating that it would not provide resources to illegal immigrants arriving in the city. However, approximately nine miles away, the sanctuary city of Denver is spending generous amounts of taxpayers' funds on illegal aliens. Denver's promise of assistance is attracting more individuals to the area, who are then spilling over into Aurora.

The Aurora Police Department has formed a special task force to "specifically address concerns" regarding TDA and "other criminal activity affecting migrant communities."

The city has confirmed that it is "increasingly collecting evidence to show the gang is connected to crimes in the area." However, city officials stated that the TDA's influence is "isolated."

The massive uptick in illegal immigrants arriving in the Denver and Aurora areas has prompted increased costs and homelessness.

A recent poll found that Colorado residents' top concern is the area's cost of living, followed by homelessness, cost of health care, drug overdoses, crime, mental health, jobs and the economy, and illegal immigration.

Dave Metz, president of Democratic-aligned FM3 Research, stated, "This year's Pulse Poll results don't just show that Coloradans perceive housing issues as a problem — they see them as a crisis."

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Massive crowd of Venezuelans gather at Colorado mall, fire shots in air, leave trash after Maduro allegedly wins election



A massive crowd of mainly Venezuelan immigrants practically took over the parking lot of a shopping mall in Aurora, Colorado, on Sunday night, firing shots in the air and leaving trash everywhere in response to the presidential election in Venezuela, some 3,000 miles away.

Between 5 and 6 p.m. on Sunday, people began flocking to the Garden on Havana shopping center, many waving Venezuelan flags, as early returns indicated that political outsider Edmundo González Urrutia was on track for a landslide victory over Nicolás Maduro, the socialist president who rose to power in Venezuela in 2013 following the death of socialist dictator Hugo Chávez.

However, Venezuelan officials then reportedly kept vote tallies secret over the next several hours, and shortly after midnight, the National Electoral Council announced that Maduro had prevailed, securing a third term in office.

Foreign leaders slammed the apparent election improprieties and demanded transparency regarding the results. Even Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed "serious concerns" about Maduro's alleged victory, as Blaze News previously reported.

'This is in the United States of America... this is in YOUR city.'

The crowd gathered in Aurora was likewise erratic. According to Aurora police, as many as 4,000 people swarmed the shopping center, making nearby roadways "impassable" and preventing mall customers from entering or leaving.

Aurora PD also acknowledged other unruly behaviors from the crowd. "Trash and debris were left behind," and shots were "fired into the air," the department said in a statement.

A Facebook post from Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky gave a similar report. "The shopping centers were invaded and cars trapped in. The streets were shut down. There are reports of assaults, theft, and gunshots in the air. I have not heard of any reported deaths," she wrote.

While there have been no reports of injuries from the gunfire, Jurinsky claimed in her Facebook post that "a police car was shot up." She later walked the assertion back slightly, telling 9News, "That is the way it was conveyed to me, but I have not seen the police car."

Police confirmed that "an unknown object" did strike a patrol unit, causing "minor damage," but could not verify whether the object came from the gathering. The incident remains under investigation.

Officials also disputed Jurinsky's claim that "police were totally over run, and [were] forced to get out of the area for their safety." "Police did not leave and were there for the entire event," Aurora spokesperson Ryan Luby countered.

Officers did investigate a possible assault and shoplifting incident at the shopping center on Sunday. Otherwise, they did not make any arrests or issue "any tickets, citations or summons," the department said.

"We recognize that Sunday’s incident was disconcerting and alarming for a large number of our residents and citizens," Aurora police spokesperson Agent Matt Longshore said on Tuesday.

Councilwoman Jurinksy certainly appeared frustrated by an uproar in Aurora over an election in a foreign country. "Thousands of these folks took over and completely shut down a part of our city. ... This is in the United States of America... this is in YOUR city," she wrote on Facebook.

'We are concerned about statements ... that mischaracterize this event and risks inciting fear, division, and violence against newcomers. Aurora has always thrived because of its diversity.'

Mayor Mike Coffman, who previously served in Congress and as the Colorado secretary of state as a Republican, likewise took to Facebook to express concern about what he called "an unfortunate incident" instigated by "members of the Venezuelan immigrant community."

"Their celebration not only closed off access to the stores at the Gardens on Havana shopping center but ... also left a lot of trash, beer bottles and beer cans in the parking lots for the retail stores to clean up at their expense," Coffman continued.

He also demanded an apology:

My message to the leaders of the Venezuelan immigrant community is that while I fully understand the reason for your celebration that doesn't excuse your community from acting responsibly and you owe the residents of my city an apology for the unacceptable conduct demonstrated by far too many of your community members.

SOS Venezuela Denver, a local activist group, quickly offered one.

"It is unacceptable that individuals decided to hold such an event without considering the consequences or assessing the risks," a statement from the group read in part. "This event was a sad display of lawlessness and disregard for the community, especially considering that the city of Aurora has been particularly welcoming to the Venezuelan community," the group said.

The Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, by contrast, suggested that the demonstration was "peaceful" and therefore protected under the First Amendment. CIRC communications manager Raquel Lane-Arellano even went on to accuse "some city council members" of putting Venezuelan "newcomers" at risk by reporting on the incident.

"We are concerned about statements from some city council members that mischaracterize this event and risks inciting fear, division, and violence against newcomers. Aurora has always thrived because of its diversity. We urge Aurora residents and city council members to reject divisive rhetoric and refrain from sharing unverified information," Lane-Arellano said.

Nearly 8 million Venezuelans have abandoned their homeland in recent years, and some 40,000 of them have made their way to the greater-Denver area. The Denver Gazette estimates that the large influx of migrants has cost local taxpayers about $72 million in under two years.

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THIS is why CNN cut off Trump press secretary’s mic?



CNN host Jake Tapper is one of two chosen to moderate the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden — and when one Trump campaign spokeswoman pointed out that he may be biased, she was cut off by another CNN anchor, Kasie Hunt.

Trump 2024 national press secretary Karoline Leavitt noted in the interview that it “would take someone five minutes” to google Jake Tapper’s name with Donald Trump’s to find that Tapper has “consistently likened Trump to Adolf Hitler.”

As she was trying to finish her sentence, Hunt interrupted, threatening to end the interview.

“I’m going to stop this interview if you continue to attack my colleagues,” Hunt said angrily.

“I am stating facts that your colleagues have stated in the past,” Leavitt fired back, before she was cut from the screen.

“She is welcome to come back and speak about Donald Trump, and Donald Trump will have equal time to Joe Biden when they both join us now, at next, early, later this week in Atlanta for this debate,” Hunt said, clearly flustered.

The issue began when Hunt had asked what Trump’s strategy for the debate was, and Leavitt initially said that Trump’s plan is just to point out what a horrible job Biden has done.

“She did give a very clear answer,” Sara Gonzales explains. “But then she did, I mean I think that very rightfully so, pointed out, ‘Your moderator has a history of anti-Trump sentiments, so obviously this is not right, it’s not going to be fair.’”

Hunt later wrote in a post on X, “You come on my show, you respect my colleagues. Period. I don’t care what side of the aisle you stand on, as my track record clearly shows.”

Gonzales is shocked that “pointing out a fact” is labeled as “disrespect” in this case.

“Don’t have someone on your show if you want to curate the opinion,” Jaco Booyens agrees.


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How will SCOTUS rule on controversial ‘gender care’ for minors?



The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to Tennessee’s ban on transgender medical treatments for minors, which will set a major precedent for the rest of the country.

While the Supreme Court can be unpredictable considering the mixed bag of justices, Sara Gonzales believes the odds are in the conservatives' — and thus the children's — favor.

“I mean, SCOTUS now has an opportunity to set the precedent here on irrevocably sterilizing an entire generation,” Gonzales says. “I’m never fully confident on anything Supreme Court-related, there are too many wishy-washy conservatives on that court.”

“But I like our odds here,” she adds, noting that the plaintiffs were denied their appeal to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The plaintiffs in the case claim that the state’s ban on transgender medical treatments for minors violates the 14th Amendment.

“They say that the ban on gender procedures for minors violates the equal protection clause by preventing them from accessing medical treatments that are available to others,” Gonzales explains.

“This is their main argument: ‘We are an oppressed minority being discriminated against because we are transgender,’” she adds.

However, transgender adults are capable of getting the procedure.

“They can still go set an appointment, chop off their balls, chop off their breasts, chop off apparently whatever body part you like as long as you get the right doctor. Now, if you did it yourself, you’d be in an insane asylum. But you can chop off whatever you’d like once you’re an adult,” Gonzales says, adding, “It’s just the kids that are protected.”

Not only are transgender adults capable of making irreversible surgical alterations to their body, transgender adults are supported by nearly every large institution.

“So, the ban was upheld by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals as I mentioned,” Gonzales explains, “which said that the plaintiffs were in fact very much not an oppressed minority.”


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Watch: Joe Rogan calls New York’s immigration policy 'political horse s**t' – 'They’re literally importing Democratic voters!'



“If you live in New York City,” says Dave Rubin, you’d be wise to “leave immediately.” Otherwise, you might find yourself in the awkward position of being forced to host illegal immigrants in your home.

Joe Rogan and American pro surfer Shane Dorian discussed this issue on a recent episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience."

“New York City literally has a mandate to house its homeless,” said Rogan, “and that was supposed to be the people that lived there that were down on their luck, and now it's people that have come in from other cities or other countries, rather, illegally.”

What’s even more upsetting is the fact that “they're trying to make it so that those people can vote.”

Venezuelans specifically, however, are being sent back “because Venezuela opposes socialism, so they're not going to vote Democratic,” Rogan continues.

“That sounds like a conspiracy theory, but it’s, like, totally political,” added Dorian.

“They’re literally importing Democratic voters. They think by allowing the borders to be porous and by giving people aid and giving people housing, you're essentially guaranteeing that if you can rig it so that those people are allowed to vote, those people are going to vote Democratic,” explained Rogan. “It’s all political horse s**t.”


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