Alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang have overtaken an apartment building in Aurora, Colorado, charging rent in exchange for "protection," previous reports say. (Edward Romero)
Hours before the act was signed, a lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, Democracy Forward and the ACLU of the District of Columbia, claiming the proclamation could be used to deport any Venezuelan in the country, regardless of whether they are a member of TdA.
Chief U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg of the D.C. Circuit granted a temporary restraining order preventing the deportation of five Venezuelans already in immigration custody for two weeks.
The Trump administration appealed the restraining order, alleging it is improper to delay a presidential act before it is announced, affiliate FOX 32 Chicago reported.
Police officers search for evidence in apartment buildings at 12th and Dallas in Aurora, Colo., Dec. 17, 2024. (Fox News Digital)
The move fulfills a campaign promise made during an October rally, when Trump announced he would use the law to combat Tren de Aragua (TdA) members in the U.S.
Tren de Aragua (TdA), designated a foreign terrorist organization Feb. 20 by the Department of State, has thousands of members, many of whom the White House says have unlawfully infiltrated the United States and are "conducting irregular warfare and undertaking hostile actions against the United States."
Colorado officials confirmed TdA occupied entire apartment complexes in Aurora, noting a special task force had to be established to combat its activity.
TRUMP TO INVOKE WARTIME ALIEN ENEMIES ACT OF 1798 TO FAST-TRACK DEPORTATIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
As of Sept. 11, 2024, the Aurora Police Department linked the gang to nearly a dozen people, resulting in eight arrests.
"Two of the eight individuals who were taken into custody were involved in a July shooting at one of the specific properties in the city that have experienced issues with TdA activity," according to a statement. "In line with these arrests, we can also now confirm that criminal activity, including TdA issues, had significantly affected those properties."
Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro, right (Fox Nation)
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The White House said the gang has continued to engage in mass illegal migration to the U.S. to "further its objectives of harming United States citizens," undermining public safety.
TdA operates in conjunction with Cártel de los Soles, the Nicolás Maduro regime-sponsored narco-terrorism enterprise based in Venezuela, and commits brutal crimes, including murders, kidnappings, extortion and human, drug, and weapons trafficking, according to the White House.
It grew significantly while Tareck El Aissami served as governor of Aragua between 2012 and 2017. In 2017, El Aissami was appointed vice president of Venezuela.
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Soon after, the Treasury Department designated El Aissami a specially designated narcotics trafficker under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, and he remains a U.S. fugitive.
In 2020, Maduro and other regime members were charged with narcoterrorism and other crimes in an alleged plot against America.
Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
Alexandra Koch is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Prior to joining Fox News, Alexandra covered breaking news, crime, religion, and the military in the southeast.
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