Revealing How Frightening Venezuelan Gang Makes Home In Utah

The White House has declared war on a Venezuelan gang as foreign terrorists that have the goal of disrupting life in the United States. Now this is scary enough, but 18 states have reported that the gang has infiltrated their state. Utah has reportedly been the 18th state to acknowledge the presence of the gang known as Tren de Aragua within its borders.

The Tren de Aragua is a Venezuelan criminal gang that rose through the prison system in their home country. Political and economic crises created opportunities for organized crime to flourish in the country and members seeking to expand their operations have taken advantage of migration flows into the United States as well as other countries.

Now, while it has reportedly established a presence in Utah, local authorities emphasize that its footprint in the state is not extensive, although there is much concern as the gang has been linked to incidents in areas like Millcreek and Herriman, including alleged criminal activities.

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Illegal immigration problems have not only resided with Tren de Aragua members among Venezuelan immigrants, but at the end of last year Governor Cox noted that criminal illegal foreign nationals make up “an estimated 4.6% of Utah’s prison population." The flow of gang related activity with laxed border control has been a concern for states for some time and many along with Utah have stood with the decision to strengthen border security with the intent of keeping illegal activity at bay.

Despite the presence of Tren de Aragua, Utah's largest criminal gangs remain groups like the Sureños, Norteños, Bloods, and Crips.