The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) has expressed support for Governor Greg Abbott's recent initiative to designate Tren de Aragua (TdA) as a foreign terrorist organization. This designation aims to allocate law enforcement resources to address the threat posed by TdA. According to Governor Abbott, "Texas law enforcement will now be creating a database from scratch," due to the lack of a shared criminal database between Venezuela and the United States.

"TdA is emerging as a significant threat to cities across Texas. This Venezuelan gang, notorious for its extreme violence and involvement in human trafficking, has expanded its operations across South America, engaging in urban terrorism, drug trafficking, kidnapping, and money laundering," stated TPPF Senior Fellow Ammon Blair.

Members of TdA have reportedly been exploiting the influx of Venezuelan migrants and programs such as 'Lawful Pathways' to infiltrate the U.S. The challenge for Border Patrol and law enforcement is further complicated by difficulties in obtaining criminal histories from Venezuelan illegal aliens unless they have records with Interpol or prior criminal activity in the United States. This information gap leaves communities vulnerable to threats posed by these transnational criminal organizations.

Selene Rodriguez, Campaign Director for Secure & Sovereign Texas, commented on the federal government's handling of immigration: "After allowing millions of illegal aliens into Texas and our nation, our own federal government has ceded our communities to our adversaries, but Texas must continue to take a stand. Every tool that Texas has at its disposal should be used in making Texas the least desirable state for illegal immigration and criminal activity." Rodriguez emphasized that more work remains in securing the state and expressed anticipation for collaborating with the Texas Legislature on relevant legislation.

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