A law enforcement operation conducted in the Austin metro area resulted in the arrest of more than 40 members and associates of the violent Venezuelan Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang. A police task force comprised of federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities closed in on the suspected gang members Tuesday morning, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
According to authorities, for more than a year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD), the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and several other federal, state and local partners, have been investigating members and associates believed to be part of the Venezuelan transnational gang, Tren de Aragua (TdA).
Great work by @TxDPS and our federal partners.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) April 2, 2025
Over 40 TdA vicious criminals are now behind bars and off our streets.
Tren de Aragua tried to set up shop in Texas. But we won't let this ruthless gang take root in our state. https://t.co/lgQkIAHw6x
As part of the broader investigation, the FBI developed intelligence in recent days indicating a possible gathering of suspected Tren de Aragua members or associates would take place in the Austin metro area.
#BREAKING Texas DPS confirms that an early morning operation yesterday just outside of Austin Texas led to the arrest of at least 40 individuals— DHS sources tell me they are suspected to be affiliated with Tren de Aragua #TdA.
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) April 2, 2025
⁰@TxDPS says the FBI developed intelligence… pic.twitter.com/kBGeNNoHyg
Early Tuesday morning, Hays County Sheriff’s deputies, Texas DPS Highway Patrol troopers, and federal authorities assigned to the FBI, ICE, and Homeland Security Investigations jointly established sufficient cause to obtain a search warrant for a residence in Hays County. The search warrant on the Austin residence was executed by the DPS’ Special Response Team, resulting in the arrest of more than 40 individuals, including minors.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, an unknown quantity of illicit narcotics was seized during the operation. The case remains under investigation and state and federal prosecutors will determine criminal charges related to the operation as the investigation unfolds.
In late February, the U.S. Department of State announced the designation of the notorious Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).
In addition to the Tren de Aragua gang, the Trump administration also designated the violent Salvadoran MS-13 gang and several Mexican drug cartels as FTOs under the same announcement. The Mexican drug cartels named in the announcement included the Cartel de Sinaloa, Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), Cartel del Noreste (CDN), La Nueva Familia Michoacana (LNFM), Cartel del Golfo (CDG), and Carteles Unidos (CU).
Tuesday’s operation in the Texas Capital mirrors other recent raids aimed at dismantling the Tren de Aragua gang’s ability to operate in the United States. In a sign of how pervasive the gang’s reach has become, a recent operation found the gang to be operating in the nation’s capital as well.
As reported by Breitbart Texas, a similar operation in Washington D.C. in late March resulted in the arrest of 14 illegal aliens suspected of being members the Tren de Aragua gang. The law enforcement operation in the nation’s capital involved agents from the United States Border Patrol Special Operations Group (BORTAC) and the Border Patrol’s National Gang Unit, the FBI and DHS’s Homeland Security Investigations agents.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
