(NewsNation) — A pair of Texas Republicans are accusing the Biden administration of intentionally bringing Venezuelan gang members into the United States.
Rep. Chip Roy and Sen. Ted Cruz detailed their concerns in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The pair cited anxieties about the “increasing presence of the violent Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua” and demanded answers by Oct. 31 about the group’s “infiltration” under the Biden administration.
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White House spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández has called reports that Biden is “secretly flying” people into the U.S. “categorically false.” The Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who entered the country were “thoroughly screened,” he said.
The letter contains the latest in a series of complaints from politicians who say they’re concerned about alleged foreign gang activity in the U.S. Local leaders, however, say that activity is “grossly exaggerated.”
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In their letter, Roy and Cruz said Biden intentionally established policies that led to a “massive increase in crime committed by Venezuelan illegal aliens.”
“The Biden-Harris administration has imported Venezuelan illegal aliens at an alarming rate, allowing criminals — including the gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) — to gain a foothold in Texas and communities throughout the United States. Texans and the American people deserve better,” they wrote.
The letter repeats baseless claims perpetuated by former President Donald Trump. The GOP presidential nominee recently called Aurora, Colorado, a “war zone” and claimed the city has seen an “influx of violent Venezuelan prison gang members from Tren de Aragua.”
A Venezuelan migrant takes a photo of a group that managed to get past the Texas Army National Guard razor wire on the banks of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas, and was waiting to be picked up by Border Patrol for processing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024.
A Biden policy in effect since January 2023 allows as many as 30,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to enter the U.S. each month. They must apply online with a financial sponsor, arrive at a specified airport and pay their way.
That hasn’t stopped other politicians, including Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, from remaining outspoken about Tren de Aragua’s alleged crimes.
Last month, Abbott announced he would label the gang as a foreign terrorist organization. The designation would allow the state to tap its courts to help operations and seize gang belongings.
Around that time, a Texas state district judge ordered the owners of a downtown El Paso hotel to vacate the building.
The injunction came after the El Paso County Attorney’s Office announced multiple alleged health violations and criminal activity.
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TDA activity in the US
Several high-profile cases, including the death of 12-year-old Texas girl Jocelyn Nungaray, have fueled speculation about alleged migrant gang crimes.
Investigators suspect the two men accused of killing Nungaray belonged to Tren de Aragua.
Roy and Cruz cited the girl’s death in their letter.
“The lawmakers are particularly outraged by a horrific crime linked to TdA affiliates, who are accused of raping and murdering a 12-year-old girl in Houston,” they wrote. “They are pressing for answers on the infiltration of criminal organizations under the current administration.”
It’s true that people are increasingly migrating from Venezuela to the U.S., but multiple studies analyzing crime data have shown that immigrants commit crimes at a much lower rate than U.S. citizens. That’s true for both violent and nonviolent crimes.
As for confirmed instances of TDR crimes in the U.S., some local leaders say the issue has been blown out of proportion.
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman refuted Trump’s comments about the city being a “war zone.”
“The reality is that the concerns about Venezuelan gang activity have been grossly exaggerated,” Coffman wrote in an Oct. 8 Facebook post. “The incidents were limited to several apartment complexes in this city of more than 400,000 residents.”
Colorado Democratic Governor Jared Polis also pushed back on Trump’s rhetoric. In a statement to NewsNation local affiliate KDVR, he called Aurora an “incredible city with two straight years of rapidly declining crime.”
Aurora police have acknowledged that “components of Tren de Aragua” are operating in the area and have identified at least 10 known members.
Those men face charges that include assault, burglary, kidnapping and attempted murder.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
