Chicago City Wire

An expert on the Venezuelan crime group Tren de Aragua (TdA) told Fox News Digital that assassinations by members of the group will be on the rise, particularly in states and cities that protect illegal immigrants with sanctuary policies.

Jose Gustavo Arocha, a senior fellow for the Center for a Secure Free Society and former lieutenant colonel in the Venezuelan army, told Fox that the group is already behind assassinations in Venezuela and in other parts of Latin America.

“That’s what will happen here in the U.S.,” he warns.

Mayor Brandon Johnson | Wirepoints

Arocha also urged the incoming Trump administration to act quickly against the gang.

According to Arocha, who fled the country after being imprisoned by socialist Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro for eight months, TdA is a "state-sponsored, Maduro regime organization," formed and trained by the Venezuelan government to sow chaos, violence and discord throughout the Western hemisphere.

"Right now is the right moment to take action," he said. "If you let them grow, they are going to be more embedded in the communities, it's going to be harder to take any action against them, and it's going to be painful for U.S. society."

Illinois and Chicago both have sanctuary laws that prohibit local law enforcement from working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to deport illegals.

TdA has been active in Chicago, America First Legal reported.

America First Legal (AFL) recently reported that documents the group obtained from the Illinois Cook County Sheriff’s Office show the increasing threat of criminal illegals, particularly from TdA.

In a recent statement, AFL noted that Sheriff’s records show:

• Chicago law enforcement learned over a year ago that TdA was engaging in human trafficking, sex exploitation, drug trafficking, and retail theft rings, and employing extreme brutality — including dismemberment — to intimidate their adversaries.
• In October 2023, Chicago Police identified graffiti matching a TdA slogan in the Magnificent Mile district, signaling the gang’s involvement in retail theft and boldness in claiming territory near tourist destinations.
• On July 29, 2024, the Chicago Police Department warned its own police officers that TdA gang members had a “green light” to shoot police officers in the sanctuary city of Denver, Colorado.

Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, has said the new administration will first target illegals with criminal records for deportation.

On Monday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson had police clear members of the public from City Council before a vote on the city’s budget. The mayor yet again faced heated criticism from his spending hundreds of millions on illegal immigrants while the city goes deeper into debt risking vital services for Chicago residents.

"You caused all this money to go to illegal immigrants," one resident told Johnson during the public comment period. "Anything that you all pass is not genuine."

Council members approved the budget with the minimum of the 26 votes needed. It includes a $40 million short term loan, but missing from the spending plan was the mayor’s proposal for a property tax increase.