Tren de Aragua threat should be taken 'very seriously,' California undersheriff says

SANTEE, Calif. — In the city hall, near the base of the hills surrounding the border town of Santee, California, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) led a House Judiciary Committee field hearing to discuss the impacts of the immigration crisis on the Golden State, where many non-Central Americans have illegally entered into the United States.

California was initially spared the brunt of the record number of illegal border crossings at the start of the Biden-Harris administration, but as time went on, people from countries such as China reportedly started to take advantage of the country's open border. Now, years after the crisis started, international gangs unknown in the United States prior to 2021 have established themselves in multiple cities across the country.

Riverside County Undersheriff Don Sharp testified that even though his county does not sit directly on the border like San Diego County, his department has been busy dealing with the human and drug trafficking that has made its way past Border Patrol.

'We try to to interdict these people ... to get ahead of it.'

"In Riverside County alone, our narcotics unit seized 359 pounds of fentanyl and over 2.3 million fentanyl pills in 2023. ... What did we miss? We know we missed plenty," Sharp lamented, noting that his deputies respond to fentanyl overdose cases on a daily basis.

Sharp confirmed that since Border Patrol agents have been taken off the line to process and watch over illegal immigrants who give themselves up, the drug loads and human trafficking operations have become bigger.

Sharp told Blaze News that the threat with gangs like Tren de Aragua is real and should be taken "very seriously." The Venezuelan gang made national headlines once again in recent days, this time for terrorizing residents in apartments in Aurora, Colorado.

"These groups basically create a hub for themselves, like they do at those apartment complexes. They then have a place that they can now use people as victims and start controlling the area. ... We try to to interdict these people ... to get ahead of it before they end up in these locations across the nation," Sharp said.

"Several committees in Congress are looking into how to undo the damage. Some of that, in the case of Venezuela, it is virtually impossible for us to get Venezuelan cooperation. However, all of these individuals that are now operating in the United States came in through Mexico. It is possible to have Mexico stop it. It is even possible to deport to Mexico people who were wrongfully allowed to pass through Mexico," Issa explained.

The arrival of the South American gang in places like Colorado, Illinois, and Florida has put law enforcement on high alert, even though in the Aurora case, local officials are downplaying the threat.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) in 2023 praised the Biden-Harris administration for expanding protections for Venezuelans who are in the U.S. because they are searching for "a better life in America and who can now help contribute to our economy and fill much-needed jobs."

"They have been involved in numerous crimes throughout the country, from thefts, robberies, assaults, sex crimes, extortion, and murder. Some argue [Tren de Aragua] accounts for a small percentage of violent crimes but the fact is that there should be ZERO crimes against the public as this gang should not have been able to expand their presence in the US as a result of catch [and] release policies," Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Chris Olivarez said on X.

"One victim is too many, one life lost at the hands of this criminal gang is inexcusable."

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