Federal agents conducted an overnight raid on a "makeshift nightclub" in Denver, arresting at least 41 Tren de Aragua gang members. The violent Venezuelan prison gang had been causing chaos and spreading fear in the city and the neighboring suburb of Aurora.
The DEA said agents in Colorado interrupted an "invite-only party" in Adams County, located just outside Denver, on Sunday morning, where dozens of gang members were partying. The agents then found 49 people inside the makeshift nightclub. Among them, 41 were illegal migrants. Federal authorities said that some of those arrested had ties to the violent Tren de Aragua gang, which has been wreaking havoc in the area.
Everything Illegal
The early morning operation was carried out in collaboration with officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
The operation netted cash, weapons, firearms, and drugs, including Tusi, also known as "pink cocaine," a potent narcotic that the gang has been heavily involved in distributing throughout the United States.
Footage released by the DEA's Rocky Mountain Division showed a white bus filled with arrested gang members being escorted by law enforcement vehicles along snowy roads.
In total, nearly 50 members of Tren de Aragua were apprehended, marking the largest under the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigrants with criminal histories who could pose a risk to public safety.
Both President Trump and Homan have vowed to locate, arrest, and eventually deport millions of migrants who entered the country unlawfully.
"The President and the DOJ leaders have made it clear that we are going to work together with a sense of urgency to hold violent criminals accountable," Maltz said.
"The citizens of this country must feel safe every day throughout the country. One of my goals is to help build an army of good to fight evil."
No Mercy
Footage captures the moment a bus arrived to transport the illegal immigrants from the site to a detention center. Known as TdA by law enforcement, the gang traces its roots back to a Venezuelan prison.
Members of the South American mafia have infiltrated the U.S. through the southern border, blending in with the nearly one million Venezuelan migrants who have entered the country under the Biden administration.
Reports suggest suspected TdA gang members had circulated invitations to the Saturday night gathering on social media and had been using the abandoned warehouse as a meeting spot for months.
In December, it was revealed that Tren de Aragua—described as the "epitome of evil" and "MS-13 on steroids"—is now active in 18 states. These include some of the most isolated areas in the country, such as Colorado, North Dakota, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming. The gang also maintains strongholds in major cities like New York, Chicago, and across Texas.
The gang members are often identifiable by specific tattoos, including symbols like a train (a reference to "tren" in Spanish), a crown, a clock, and an AK-47.
After entering the U.S. disguised as asylum-seekers, TdA members took over at least three apartment complexes in the area. They occupied vacant units, turning them into hubs for drugs and prostitution, where they exploited migrant women and even children.
Other migrants living in these buildings were forced to pay the gang members "rent" or face the threat of violence.
In August, a video showing armed gang members storming a unit at the Edge of Lowry gained national attention.
President Donald Trump, who ran on a strict immigration platform, wasted no time after his inauguration, taking swift action to deport undocumented immigrants.
On Monday, federal agents began detaining migrants in Denver, while the military was deployed to the southern border to address the surge in crossings.
Just hours after his swearing-in, Trump declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, asserting that "America's sovereignty is under attack." He appears determined to fulfill his campaign promises to address immigration.
One of his first executive orders was to authorize the deployment of over 1,500 additional troops to the southern border, supplementing the 2,000 already stationed there, to assist in constructing physical barriers.
In the 2024 fiscal year, the United States resettled over 100,000 refugees, marking the highest number in three decades.
