The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director has overturned a course on gang violence in Venezuela after telling the governor in the November 2024 budget that Tren de Aragua is active in four major cities in the state.
In a letter to Rep. John Ray Clemons on December 19, TBI Director David Rausch admitted that Tren de Aragua did not fire a cartel member in Tennessee, which he discussed at the budget hearing. . He also said, “I never mentioned that there was a violent encounter we knew about with this gang in Tennessee.”
However, during his presentation to Governor Bill Lee, Rausch described the Venezuelan gang as “violent” groups, explaining how it started with human trafficking, including “organized retail theft” and drugs Moved into trading and “more violence.”
The director also said the gang’s drug trafficking activities competed directly with the cartel, with the gang coming out a video showing one of the members of Tren de Aragua, who filmed “31 members of the cartel.” Rausch said the information was “based on trends and Intel.” [the TBI has] To them. ”
Since Rausch issued an astonishing statement, news organizations have begun considering gang activities in Tennessee. Reports show that one gang member was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking in Hamilton County, and one Memphis was arrested on a federal warrant in November. However, the group reports that it does not appear to have a strong presence in Metronashville or Memphis.
In a letter to Clemons, Rausch said he did not seek “amendments to state legislation” to address gangs other than supporting more operating funds. Rausch added that he is responsible for warning elected officials and the public about safety concerns.
In response, Clemons said that Rausch’s letter would send a message that he wanted nothing but money from Congress.
“He also significantly reverted his representation of (gangster) violent criminal activity, which was specifically intended to scare Bezès from his Tennessee family. The TDA actually hinted at by the director. This is odd because TDA is a real threat to public safety if there is as much importance to exist here as it is,” Clemons said in a statement.
Clemons added that he believes that “hyperbolic remarks” are “choreographed” to “demonize” immigrant communities. He noted that the governor asked only one question about the issue, showing that he had little concern.
In his letter, Rausch learned about the existence of Venezuelan gangs through intellectual efforts, and media reports informed the gang that TBI “is coming after them when they committed a crime.” He said. He refused to release any confidential information obtained by the Bureau.
During the budget hearing, Rausch told the governor that the gang, made up of “illegal individuals” – was made up of “illegal individuals” from the state after TBI fled two years ago when it discovered a human trafficking business. He said it was “always present” in all major cities. .
Despite admitting that street shootings took place elsewhere, Rausch wrote that the Venezuelan group is a “very dangerous gang” that must be stopped before gaining scaffolding in the state Ta.
He also went on to great lengths to his statements about violent criminal activities (gangsters) that were explicitly intended to scare Bezès from his Tennessee family.
– Rep. John Ray Clemons, TBI Director David Rausch, D-Nashville
Most of that activity is being carried out through human trafficking, with some gang members being arrested in Tennessee’s largest city on warrants from other states.
He said the gangs smuggled people across borders and “abused” their visas and asylum systems. Once inside the country, the gang network moved people across the country to Tennessee, Rausch said.
Rausch’s presentation asked several questions as Clemmons wrote to the director and made Venezuelan gang activities a priority in budget requests to the governor.
Clemons, who chairs the House Democrats Caucus, asked when the gang returned to Tennessee and why lawmakers learned late about the threats of public safety. Additionally, he sought more information about “trends and Intel” Rausch. TBI said it was more specific information about gangster criminal activity in major cities in Tennessee.
He also asked whether the gang’s drug dealings had anything to do with fentanyl, and whether the murders of cartel members were filmed in Tennessee. Other questions were addressed whether the gang had members in the Tennessee prison and whether gang members may have reached Tennessee from Venezuela.
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