(NewsNation) — Members of the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua are reportedly attacking border agents with knives and tire irons. The New York Post reported that border officials are preparing for a potential gang attack on Wednesday.
Alfonso Aguilar, the former chief of the U.S. Office of Citizenship, believes the gang is taking advantage of the time remaining before President-elect Trump assumes office on Jan. 20.
“We’re seeing criminal organizations, members of Tre de Aragua, trying to get to the southern border and doing everything they can to enter the country because they know as soon as the Trump administration starts, it’s going to be almost impossible to enter the country and be released into the community as it has happened during these past four years,” he said.
This is all happening as a new study, by research center Complexity Science Hub, ZME Science, found that drug cartels are ranked as Mexico’s fifth largest employer, with roughly 175,000 people working for them.
President-elect Trump has vowed to take a heavy hand with both factions. Trump’s incoming “border czar,” Tom Homan, says officials in the new administration will prioritize those who pose a risk, such as criminals, before moving on to immigrants whom courts have ordered removed from the U.S.