President-elect Donald Trump’s sweeping deportation plan could “quickly” eradicate Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua from the United States, according to former Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Ronald Vitiello.
Department of Homeland Security data revealed that TDA has a confirmed presence in at least 16 states and is rapidly expanding its territory. The agency has warned that its gang members have “violent tendencies.”
‘Even if 1% of them were here to do harm to the United States, they have a real advantage in this scenario.’
The transnational group has been tied to a multitude of crimes across the country, including apartment takeovers, retail theft, assaults, and sex trafficking.
Vitiello, who previously served as a former acting deputy commissioner for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, told Newsweek that TDA’s presence in the country could be wiped out before it is able to secure a strong foothold.
“In the case of Tren de Aragua, they can be dismantled quickly and definitively because their presence in the United States, although dangerous, has just begun,” he explained. “They are particularly vulnerable to removal and deportation, and so the United States could end their lawlessness as quickly as it began.”
Vitiello continued, “We’ve seen deadly examples where illegals who have committed crimes and then went on to do terrible things, as in the case of Laken Reilly near Atlanta, who was killed by an individual from Venezuela who was here illegally and was arrested.”
During a separate interview with Fox Business on Monday, Vitiello stated that the current administration’s open border policies require Trump’s incoming office to make drastic corrections.
Vitiello explained, “Under the Biden-Harris administration, we went through the worst border surge probably in the history of the world, certainly in the history of the United States. So a correction needs to be made.”
“What are they [migrants] all doing here? Even if 1% of them were here to do harm to the United States, they have a real advantage in this scenario. That’s why the deportation efforts are important,” he added.
When asked whether he thinks Trump’s administration will be successful in deporting millions of illegal aliens, he replied, “We must do it.”
“We have almost 20 million people that have gotten here in the last four years,” Vitiello said.
He noted that Trump and his incoming border czar, Tom Homan, have stated they plan to deport “the worst first,” including criminals and gang members.
“Let’s start with all those criminally involved people; let’s get all those convicts out of here and then work our way down the list and protect America,” Vitiello remarked.
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