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NATIONAL GUARD URGED TO CHECK MIGRANTS ARRIVING IN NYC FOR ‘TREN DE ARAGUA’
TATTOOS AS GANG’S NUMBERS GROW STATESIDE

By Craig McCarthy and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon

Published Feb. 14, 2024, 2:31 p.m. ET

New York State National Guard troops are being told to check all migrants
arriving in the Big Apple for distinctive tattoos linking them to the vicious
Venezuelan “Tren de Aragua” street gang, The Post has learned.

The decree comes as the NYPD this week issued a “Situational Awareness Alert”
warning that the brutal gang is increasingly making its presence known in the
five boroughs — with members claiming asylum at the US border and flocking to
New York to join other gangbangers.

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“It’s to a point that they had to post policies on use of force like if we were
in a combat zone,” one National Guard source said Wednesday.

“Tren de Aragua” — Spanish for Aragua Train, a shout-out to the gang’s origins
as a railroad labor union in Aragua, Venezuela — is growing in numbers in the
Big Apple and has been linked by law enforcement to a recent spree of cellphone
robberies, The Post revealed this week.

The brutal gang is now firmly on the NYPD’s radar, with the new bulletin
warning: “Tren de Aragua’s newly established presence in New York City may
incite further gang-related violence — including stabbings, assaults and
robberies — raising public safety concerns.”

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13
Tren de Aragua’s leader in Colombia, who uses the alias “Satan,” is detained by
authorities. Migration Colombia


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REPEAL SANCTUARY LAWS TO BREAK NYC MIGRANT CRIME WAVE

“Given the potential threat posed by TdA’s growing presence in the city, the
[NYPD Intelligence and Counter Terrorism Bureau] recommends members of the
service maintain situational awareness of symbols and iconography used by the
gang to identify local activity and trends,” the alert said.

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“Should you identify any of the symbols or iconography below and would like
real-time assistance, please coordinate with your precinct Field Intelligence
Team.”

According to the department, gang member tattoos include the Nike logo of NBA
Hall of Famer Michael Jordan along with his uniform number, 23 — with the number
referring to “23 de Enero,” or 23rd of January, a Venezuelan neighborhood that
spawned a revolutionary group in the 1980s.

Other common gang tats include a crown, weapons like AK-47 assault rifles, stars
and gas masks.

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Some “Tren de Aragua” members wear tattoos with the initials “HJ,” for “Hijos de
Dios,” or Sons of God, which can be part of the gang’s lingo, or the phrase
“Hasta la Muerte,” or Until Death, in body ink.

13
Crowns are common gang tattoos. NYPD Intelligence & Counterterroorism Bureau
13
There is also an alert for hand signs. NYPD Intelligence & Counterterroorism
Bureau

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13
Clocks are also a common gang tattoo. NYPD Intelligence & Counterterroorism
Bureau
13
AK-47 assault rifles are a popular tattoo option also. NYPD Intelligence &
Counterterroorism Bureau
13
Some “Tren de Aragua” members wear tattoos with the initials “HJ.” NYPD
Intelligence & Counterterroorism Bureau

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13
The phrase “Hasta la Muerte,” or Until Death, in body ink. NYPD Intelligence &
Counterterroorism Bureau
13
In the Jordan logo, the number refers to “23 de Enero,” or 23rd of January, a
Venezuelan neighborhood that spawned a revolutionary group in the 1980s. NYPD
Intelligence & Counterterroorism Bureau
13
Stars are another common tattoo. NYPD Intelligence & Counterterroorism Bureau

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13
Gas masks can be seen also. NYPD Intelligence & Counterterroorism Bureau
13
“Tren de Aragua” — Spanish for Aragua Train, a shout-out to the gang’s origins
as a railroad labor union in Aragua, Venezuela. NYPD Intelligence &
Counterterroorism Bureau

The warnings have been passed on to about 2,000 National Guard members across
the state who are assigned to patrol duties at hotels and shelters housing
thousands of asylum seekers.

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New York City alone has seen more than 170,000 migrants from the US border
flooding in, with more than 65,000 still in city care — including a large
contingent of Venezuelans.

The Post reported this week that “Tren de Aragua” members have been among them,
and could be behind a lucrative crew of moped-riding thieves terrorizing the
city.

13
Authorities believe members of the Venezuelan gang “Tren de Aragua” are claiming
asylum and flocking to New York. Go Nakamura for NY Post

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13
A wanted poster for Hector Guerrero Flores, an alleged boss of the vicious
Venezuelan “Tren de Aragua” gang. Venezuelan Interior Ministry

According to the report, gang members are crossing the US border with Mexico,
claiming asylum and making a beeline for New York, where they recruit other
migrants for their criminal enterprise.

The ringleader of one migrant robbery crew told cops the two-wheeled crime spree
“is much bigger than me” when he was picked up by police earlier this month —
and said he regularly travels to Florida to deliver the proceeds from the New
York City heists.

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Law enforcement sources said stolen phones, cash and other pilfered goods are
then sent to Colombia through a Texas-based shipping company run by a Venezuelan
husband-and-wife team.


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Filed under gangs ,  illegal immigrants ,  migrants ,  national guard ,  nypd , 
venezuela ,  2/14/24
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