DOJ charges eight Tren de Aragua in Texas, Illinois murders

Federal authorities announced charges on Wednesday against eight individuals alleged to be members of the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua for their roles in two separate kidnappings and murders in Texas and Illinois. The announcement was made by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel at a Department of Justice press conference.

The charges stem from two violent incidents. In the first, four men are accused of kidnapping a man, his 13-year-old daughter, and his 12-year-old nephew outside Dallas on August 24, 2024. According to U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas, the assailants demanded money and, when the man could not pay, drove him to a bridge, ordered him to jump, and shot him execution-style when he refused and tried to flee. The children were later found unharmed.

In the second case, three men are charged with kidnapping a man from a Chicago park in broad daylight in May 2026. U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois stated the victim was taken to an apartment, bound, and later transported to an abandoned building where he was shot multiple times and left in a bathtub. Authorities...