A police chief in a small North Dakota metropolis says he and his officers had been deserted by the feds and left to fend for themselves when suspected Tren de Aragua members confirmed up on the town.
North Dakota is the newest state to report that the brutal Venezuelan migrant gang is working there after alleged member Henry Theis, 25, was busted final month for hacking and ripping off ATMs in West Fargo to the tune of $100,000, in keeping with authorities.
And he’s not the one suspected TdA member to now have been recognized within the metropolis of 40,000.
West Fargo Police Chief Pete Nielsen instructed The Put up his division is doing its finest to deal with the specter of such international gang exercise — however its assets are restricted, a scenario that has been made solely extra “tough” and “irritating” with out federal assist.
“When you don’t have federal assistance on these crimes crossing all these completely different state traces, it’s tough for native police to implement a few of this,” he stated.
“We haven’t had a variety of federal companions knocking on our door right here to help with this crime,” Nielsen stated of the newest suspected TdA bust.
The highest cop stated his officers are in the meantime “monitoring” the “exercise” of a number of different suspected Tren de Aragua members within the space.
“Being the police chief of this group, I feel I’d be seeking to be sure that anyone that’s committing any crime in the neighborhood is accountable for that motion. As native authorities, we need to be sure we now have the power to take away these folks which might be committing crimes from the group,” Nielsen stated.
Theis crossed the border illegally into El Paso, Texas, final 12 months and was launched into the US by border brokers with a future courtroom date, Homeland Safety sources instructed The Put up.
Then in August 2024, Theis was arrested in Lewisville, Texas, for a DWI however was later let go for an unknown purpose.
He was busted once more Nov. 1 for the ATM crime — after he was allegedly caught with $24,000 in financial institution money and facemasks and black latex gloves in his automobile.
“I feel it’s regarding to any police chief of any group all through the US when these people are right here illegally, primary,” Nielsen stated. “Quantity two, they’re getting arrested for a criminal offense. After which we launch [them back] into the nation they’re not even speculated to be in.”
ICE lately lodged a detainer with the Cass County jail to take Theis into its custody.
The suspect’s bust in North Dakota — some of the distant and least populated states — confirmed TdA’s infiltration in now 17 states.
Nielsen stated he hopes the scenario adjustments as soon as President-elect Donald Trump comes into workplace in January. The police chief stated that if he’s requested to assist with mass deportations, which Trump has promised, he’ll do all he can to help.
“I feel if there was an order from Tom Homan to help the federal authorities in, you realize, making arrests of individuals which might be right here throughout the communities illegally, we might entertain that order, and we might help the federal authorities on any factor that they wanted us to do,” he stated, referring to Trump’s border czar.
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