Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua take over Texas hotel, county officials work to shut down business

A Texas hotel may be shut down after 693 police calls were made in just two years at the property for suspected illegal and gang-related activity, according to legal documents. “The large volume of calls for service to a single business and State’s analysis of police reports show that the Gateway has habitual criminal activity that violates the CPRC, and additional crimes that contributes to the overall blight this business brings to downtown El Paso,” reads the El Paso County Attorney’s complaint. SUSPECTED TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS IN AURORA, COLORADO, RELEASED ON $1,000 BOND As recently as August 23, police documented the presence of transnational gang Tren de Aragua in the Gateway Hotel building, which the county attorney calls “most alarming.” Officers also noted that the property may be a site for prostitution, consuming drugs, gang activity, and illegal dumping per the complaint. The Gateway Hotel had been allowed only conditional use of the property through 2018, which included only the lobby and first floor. An aggravated assault which took place at the Gateway on June 16, 2024, shows “the deplorable state of the inside of the building,” according to the El Paso County Attorney’s Office. TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS ARRESTED IN AURORA, COLORADO IN CONNECTION TO APARTMENT BUILDING TAKEOVER: POLICE “A video showing the deplorable state of the inside of the building and the type of activity allowed inside of the business comes from an aggravated assault case. The video shows dozens of people ‘partying’ on the 3rd floor of the hotel, drinking, smoking and dancing provocatively while children are present,” reads the complaint. “The video also shows at least one gun being shot, another used to threaten, men holding knives and another man with a hatchet assaulting people and causing damage to the hotel in front of a security guard.” The Tren de Aragua criminal activity at the Gateway Hotel in El Paso follows a dangerous trend of building takeovers across Colorado. “I held a roundtable in Aurora, Colorado last week to expose the truth about the Tren de Aragua gang apartment takeover and crimes they are committing in our communities,” said Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert to Fox News Digital. “The Fake News media and liberal politicians want Americans to believe this crisis isn’t real, but the gang’s activity is not isolated to just Colorado and they are committing crimes in other states including Texas and New York.” Tren de Aragua is a transnational gang based in Venezuela with around 5,000 members. Every day, Tren de Aragua gains more ground in our country, and El Paso is clearly on the market for this dangerous gang,” said Congressman Tony Gonzales to Fox News Digital. Congressman Chip Roy also weighed in, saying to Fox News Digital that “the fact DPS & the local El Paso authorities had to shut down a hotel over Venezuelan gang activity tell you how pervasive the problem is.” “I am deeply concerned for the well-being of families, senior citizens, veterans, and children residing at the hotel who will need to evacuate by 10:00 am on Thursday, September 12, 2024,” said Christina Sanchez, El Paso County Attorney in a release. The Gateway Hotel’s owner, Howard Yun, did not return Fox News Digital’s request for comment. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://www.foxnews.com/us/venezuelan-gang-tren-de-aragua-take-over-texas-hotel-county-officials-work-shut-down-business