Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang recruiting kids from Texas middle schools

A confirmed Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang member has been arrested for allegedly recruiting students from two Houston middle schools to become new gang members.

Jorgenys Robertson Cova, an illegal alien from Venezuela, entered the United States two years ago, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The 32-year-old was arrested Monday after a string of alleged thefts.

Cova is also alleged to have recruited middle school students from Jane Long Academy and Las Americas, which are part of Houston Independent School District.

One resident of the Bellaire community in Houston, where both schools are located, told FOX 26 Houston "a lot of things have happened that are on the news. So, if it’s happening elsewhere, it might also be happening in our neighborhoods as well, and we’re unaware of it."

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Residents have raised alarms about the presence of the transnational gang in the area. Tren de Aragua, based in Venezuela, has an estimated 5,000 members between Venezuela and the United States. They are linked to drug and human trafficking crimes in both countries.

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Cova was confirmed as a member of Tren de Aragua due in part to his distinct arm tattoos of a clock, a five-point crown and roses. The distinctive tattoos for TdA also include stars, AK-47s and trains as a nod to the Spanish "tren."

"Cova was arrested after a DPS special agent assigned to the Houston Texas Anti-Gang Center (TAG) was notified of a suspected TdA member living in the Houston area in late September. The suspect, who was identified as Cova, was scheduled for an asylum hearing in Houston on Oct. 7," the Texas DPS said in a release this week.

Hispanic and Latino residents in the Houston area have felt tension from the recent uptick in Tren de Aragua activity.

"As Hispanics, we pay the price for everything. They take us like delinquents, like we’re bad people. And, unfortunately, it’s because our own people give us a bad reputation," one resident, speaking in Spanish, told FOX 26 Houston.

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has offered $5,000 to anyone who offers information leading to the identification and arrest of anyone affiliated with Tren de Aragua in the Lone Star State.