Trump's crackdown nets over 2,700 alleged members of notorious Venezuelan gang
Federal authorities have arrested more than 2,700 alleged members of Tren de Aragua (TdA), the notorious Venezuelan gang that has come to define the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration and mass deportation program, since President Donald Trump took office, officials said Friday.
Attorney General Pam Bondi noted the arrests during a White House press briefing when she was asked if an undocumented baby would be an immigration enforcement priority.
Bondi responded by saying violent illegal immigrants are prioritized for deportation.
"Let me put it in perspective: Today marked the 2,711th arrest in our country of TdA members," she said. "Everyone in this room agrees that they are one of the most violent criminal organizations in the world."
Bondi blamed the large numbers of criminal illegal immigrants in the country, as well as letting TdA gain a foothold in the U.S., on the Biden administration's lax border policies.
The Trump administration has designated the gang as a terrorist organization, which Trump has used to allow the speedy deportation of its members under the Alien Enemies Act, which has been challenged in the courts.
"You should all feel safer now that President Trump can deport all of these gangs and not one district court judge can think that they're emperor over this administration and his executive powers," she said Trump standing nearby.
Unknown in the United States until recent years, TdA has been involved in several high-profile crimes and terrorizing a Colorado apartment complex.