The vicious migrant gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) has been recruiting increasingly younger members to engage in coordinated crimes and attacks in Times Square, in the heart of New York City.
As reported by the New York Post, the ring consists of at nearly two dozen illegal aliens, with some as young as 11 years old so that they appear less threatening at a first glance. The gang coordinates their efforts to commit various crimes such as snatching purses and holding civilians at gunpoint, primarily targeting New York residents and tourists.
But due to their age, their migrant status, and New York’s infamously soft criminal justice laws, the culprits have managed to largely avoid prison.
“You have individuals that are brazen,” said Detective Bureau Assistant Chief Jason Savino. “We know they have access to guns, evident by the fact that they’ve done gunpoint robberies and they’ve been brazen enough to showcase pistols in and around their social media.”
“This is the first formulated group that we found where this group of about 20 individuals that, in pack format, hang out every day, they post on social media, they boast about their crew,” Savino continued. “You see little pockets in and around Times Square and in and around the shelters.”
The gang calls themselves the “Los Diablos de la 42,” which translates to “Little Devils of 42nd Street.” The gang of about 21 members has been accused of over 50 different crimes, despite not one member being arrested or charged.
“They kind of had a graduation of sorts, and a progression where originally it started as snatches and then went to strong-armed robberies, and then started brandishing knives in a pack format,” Savino explained.
In addition to the ongoing crime spree targeting innocent civilians, authorities also worry that a war could break out between the newly-arrived TdA and a longtime New York-based gang called The Latin Kings. TdA originated in Venezuela, with its members coming illegally into the United States as a result of the open-borders policies of the Biden-Harris Administration. Several years ago, a TdA member was murdered, with the Latin Kings allegedly being responsible. The likelihood of an all-out war grows stronger as TdA solidifies its presence in the city.
TdA has been gaining notoriety for its crimes in the United States, most recently garnering attention for its systematic efforts to seize control of numerous apartment complexes in Aurora, Colorado. Surveillance camera footage went viral showing members of the gang brandishing firearms as they went door-to-door in one of the complexes, forcing residents to open their doors or else the gang members would smash the doors in. The gang members have started collecting rent for themselves directly from the residents, while other members have begun squatting in vacant apartments.