Two illegal immigrants—who Police say brutalized several NYPD officers in Manhattan’s iconic Times Square—were confirmed to be members of the violent Venezuelan prison gang “Tren de Aragua.”
- Kelvin Servita-Arocha, 19, and Wilson Omar Juarez-Aguilarte, 21, are both illegal immigrants being held without bail in ICE custody, authorities told Fox News Digital.
- They were arrested on Tuesday in connection with a pair of immigration warrants. Juarez-Aguilarte was named in a final order of removal nearly a year ago.
Context: Juarez and Arocha are believed to be tied to an infamous January attack on multiple law enforcement officers in NYC which made national headlines. Three others are already in custody for the same crime.
Organized Crime: “Tren de Aragua,” which some have called a “super-gang,” was birthed out of Venezuelan prisons, but has since spread into the United States due in part to the worsening border surge. The gang has been linked to murders, turf wars, and scores of dead prostitutes, and now recruits from “asylum seekers” already inside the country, according to experts.
- Last week, the NYPD announced a crackdown on a Venezuelan gang after linking it to more than 62 robberies in four of the city’s five boroughs. That gang is now believed to be Tren de Aragua, a violent Venezuelan organization with international ambitions.
- On Monday, The New York Post identified Tren de Aragua as the gang behind New York City’s soaring robberies, adding the gang was taking advantage of the Big Apple’s sanctuary policies to plant members in the U.S. and generate profits for its “sprawling criminal empire.“
- TdA is a violent Venezuela-based gang that has expanded into multiple Latin American countries in the past few years and, more recently, has been attempting to gain footholds in the United States, according to authorities.
By the Numbers: In 2023, NYPD officers experienced a record 5,363 injuries sustained on the job, with over 1,200 hurt in struggles with suspects in the last 3 months. Meanwhile, the city’s migrant-related woes continue to soar as embattled Mayor Eric Adams struggles to find solutions.
- A total of 1,286 NYPD officers were injured in battles with suspects over the last quarter of 2023, bringing the final annual tally to a record 5,363 injured cops, department data show. The 40th Precinct in Mott Haven, the Bronx, was the most dangerous battleground, where 135 cops were injured during struggles with lawbreakers, the stats show.