Following the Department of Homeland Security’s report that there are gaps in border security, federal investigators are concerned about notorious Venezuelan gang members who are slipping into the country. 

Homeland Security Investigations, a law enforcement division of DHS, has launched more than 100 investigations into crimes tied to the Tren de Aragua gang, according to NBC News. Local law enforcement officials say gang activity has flared up in five states. 

Tren de Aragua is a notoriously violent gang that originated in Venezuelan prisons. A series of attacks on American citizens has revealed some members of the gang have infiltrated the U.S. border. Gang members illegally crossed the border as part of the 330,000 Venezuelans who illegally entered the U.S. in 2023.

In September 2023, President Joe Biden announced plans to extend legal status to nearly 500,000 Venezuelans in the United States illegally. The next month, Venezuelans surpassed Mexicans illegally crossing the border for the first time on record.

Verifying Venezuelans’ criminal status has proved to be a thorny matter for the U.S. It is complicated for the U.S. Border Patrol to verify illegal immigrants’ criminal status, particularly of Venezuelans, as the country does not share any criminal history records with the U.S. 

Venezuela’s refusal to share criminal backgrounds isn’t the only problem. Last week, the DHS’s Office of the Inspector General released a report verifying it “could not access all Federal data necessary to enable complete screening and vetting” of illegal immigrants. The report cited numerous challenges that have hindered the DHS from determining if individuals are terrorists. Among its challenges are problems accessing the Department of Defense’s biometrics data, such as facial images and fingerprints, that DHS relies on to properly vet all illegal immigrants. The report states DHS’s biometrics software was unable to upload 10% of biometric records from the DOD. 

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“Until the Department addresses these challenges, DHS will remain at risk of admitting dangerous persons into the country or enabling asylum-seekers who may pose significant threats to public safety and national security to continue to reside in the United States,” the report states. 

The report confirmed DHS’s “technology, procedures and coordination” at the border were “not fully effective” in vetting illegal immigrants, warning it “may not promptly identify asylum-seekers with derogatory information.”