The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged eight alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua with kidnapping and murder in Texas and Illinois. The charges stem from two separate incidents: one in Dallas, Texas, where four men allegedly murdered a father and kidnapped his 13-year-old daughter and 12-year-old nephew, and another in Chicago, where three men allegedly kidnapped and killed a man in broad daylight.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, and U.S. attorneys from Texas and Illinois announced the indictments during a press conference on Wednesday. Five of the eight defendants were charged in Dallas, while the remaining three face charges in Chicago. Blanche stated that all eight defendants entered the U.S. illegally between December 2021 and April 2024.
Since President Donald Trump took office in January 2024, nearly 350 Tren de Aragua members have been charged or convicted of various crimes, according to Blanche. He criticized the Biden administration for allowing the gang members to enter the country, stating that the victims in these cases 'should be alive today.'
In the Texas case, the four defendants allegedly kidnapped the father, his daughter, and nephew in August 2024, demanding money. When the father could not pay, they forced him to jump off a bridge. After he refused, one of the suspects shot him execution-style in front of the children. The fifth defendant charged in Texas is a high-ranking official within the gang.
In the Chicago case, three men allegedly kidnapped a man at a park, bound him, and transported him to an abandoned building where he was shot multiple times. His body was later found.
Blanche emphasized that the DOJ's efforts to combat Tren de Aragua would not be slowed by the recent earthquake in Venezuela, stating that the tragedy is separate from the gang's criminal activities in the U.S.