Politics
A Venezuelan Gang Reaches New York
Law enforcement officials are working to curb the growth of Tren de Aragua, a gang that began in a Venezuelan prison and has been linked to crimes in other countries and several states in the U.S.
Good morning. It’s Monday. Today we’ll get details on a Venezuelan gang that has emerged in New York City. We’ll also find out why the final screenings of the film “La Chimera” last week were packed.
A shelter for migrants in Brooklyn where men on a moped fatally shot two migrants in July. The police are investigating the episode as gang warfare.Credit…Juan Arredondo for The New York Times
The Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua — a feared criminal organization that concentrates on sex trafficking, human smuggling and drug dealing — has emerged in New York City amid the surge of migrants in the last two years. I asked my colleague Luis Ferré-Sadurní, who, with Chelsia Rose Marcius, wrote about Tren de Aragua’s arrival in New York, to explain what officials are doing about the gang’s widening presence.
What do officials in New York blame Tren de Aragua for? Have the gang’s activities affected the crime statistics the police compile and release?
The Police Department has said that the gang is behind a string of thefts in retail stores, and that it has especially targeted high-end merchandise in department stores. The police have also connected Tren de Aragua to ride-by robberies that officials say gang members pull off on scooters, snatching cellphones and expensive watches from people on the street.
Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, has said there has been an increase in scooter-related robbery patterns since more migrants began arriving in the city two years ago. The police reported 415 incidents at the beginning of June. As of Sept. 10, that number has doubled, according to Joseph Kenny, the Police Department’s chief of detectives.
