4 Tren de Aragua members arrested trying to sneak across Texas border: Abbott

Four confirmed members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) have been caught trying to sneak illegally into the U.S. via the southern border, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has announced.

The four TdA members were among 22 suspected illegal migrants who were apprehended on New Year’s Eve by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) working in Val Verde County.

"Our top priority is the safety and security of Texans, including against the growing threat of Tren de Aragua," Abbott said in a statement.

Abbott, whose administration has been clamping down hard on the gang which has been terrorizing communities across the country, said the 22 migrants are from Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. Eleven of the 22 were arrested for criminal trespass, while the remainder were family groups and were referred to Border Patrol for processing.

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The four TdA members were among a group of nine Venezuelan nationals who claimed they were heading to San Antonio, Irving, and Corsicana, Texas. DPS special agents were able to verify their gang affiliation through social media apps on their phones, as well as their tattoos, Abbott said.

The individuals were identified as Segundo Ocando-Mejia, 39; Pedro Luis Salazar-Cuervo, 27; Antonio Joe Urruttia-Rojas, 18; and Levi Jesus Urrutia-Blanco, 18. 

Ocando-Mejia had tattoos on his shoulders indicating he may hold rank or leadership within the gang, Abbott said. 

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Abbott said he has designated TdA as a foreign terrorist organization, and in September, he launched a statewide operation to aggressively target TdA to disrupt their criminal operations. He directed DPS to elevate them to a Tier 1 gang and created a TdA Strike Team to identify and arrest TdA gang members.  

Abbott said he would not tolerate the gang operating or gaining a foothold in Texas. 

The gang has been engaged in all sorts of violent crime, including murders, shootings of police officers, assaults, robberies and gun smuggling into migrant shelters. A Homeland Security memo cited by the New York Post in November states it is operating in at least 16 states.

"Until President Trump is back in the White House to secure our border, Texas will continue to hunt down dangerous criminals like TdA and put them behind bars to protect Texans from this vicious gang," Abbott said.

Abbott announced that his Public Safety Office is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of known or suspected members of TdA gang members who have been or are involved in criminal activity. 

The news comes just days after 22 TdA gang members were arrested in two raids in New York City.

Several were busted hiding out in a Bronx apartment building located next to a daycare center, a law enforcement source tells Fox News, underlining how the gang has immersed itself among the general population in the sanctuary city.