For months now, members of the violent Venezuelan gang known as Tren de Aragua have been entering the United States via the southern border, often hiding their affiliation and posing as asylum seekers to take advantage of the policies enacted by the Biden administration. They have gone on to be involved in a number of serious crimes, including robberies and shootings. 

A new memo from the Department of Homeland Security obtained by the New York Post has revealed that the gang's leaders have given members the "green light" to open fire on police officers in Denver, Colorado, which has taken in the greatest number of illegal immigrants per capita in the country. The agency warned that officers should be extra vigilant if they think they're dealing with a suspect who is tied to the group.

In the memo, the DHS' Investigations office in Chicago explained that the Albuquerque Police Department had "received information from federal partners regarding possible 'green light' attacks on law enforcement from the Tren de Aragua criminal organization operating in Denver, Colorado." The information, it added, was provided by "credible human sources from Colorado."

"As many of you know," the memo continued, "we have a TdA presence here in Chicago, so please be vigilant as you encounter TdA members or affiliates during your investigative and operational activities."

Members of the gang have been spotted in all corners of the nation, from Seattle, to Los Angeles, to Miami, to New York. Venezuelans who fled to the US from to escape the violence perpetrated by the group in their home country have sounded the alarm over their presence. 

One migrant whose friends were "brutally murdered" by the gang told Frontlines' Julio Rosas earlier this year that members "don't have any morals, or basic concept of respect for human life." He noted that in Miami, a number of families still send leaders money to prevent them from carrying out attacks on relatives back home.