DHS: 600 Migrants May Have Connection to Venezuelan Gang

The Department of Homeland Security said there are more than 600 migrants in the country who might have connections to a dangerous Venezuelan gang, NBC News reported.

Roughly 100 of the 600 migrants DHS deemed "subjects of interest" were confirmed members of the gang, Tren de Aragua, whom the department recommended be placed on an FBI watchlist, NBC News reported.

Tren de Aragua (TDA) has a presence in 15 states and a possible presence in eight more, NBC News reported, citing DHS data.

DHS officials noted a spike in crime by gang members in the U.S., including sex trafficking in Louisiana and the shooting of two police officers in New York.

More than 100 people associated with TDA have been arrested for crimes since Oct. 22 and 75 have been arrested for immigration violations, according to the report.

"DHS has an ongoing operation to crack down on gang members through re-screening certain individuals previously encountered, in addition to the rigorous screening and vetting at the border," a DHS spokesperson told NBC. "All individuals confirmed or suspected to be gang members are referred for criminal prosecution or detained and placed into expedited removal."

Venezuela does not share its criminal histories with the U.S., making tracking potential criminals difficult.

"The number is almost disturbingly low," said Frank Figliuzzi, a former FBI assistant director for counterintelligence and an NBC News contributor. "It should be higher."

A DHS official said many of the victims of TDA's crimes are Venezuelan migrants.

"They prey first and foremost on Venezuelans," the official told NBC News. "We know that they control human smuggling routes out of Venezuela and into Colombia and into Panama. And they are controlling more of these passages as individuals move north through Mexico."

Data obtained by NBC News showed that fewer than 30 of the more than 600 subjects of interest regarding TDA are in ICE custody.

DHS reportedly said other subjects of interest may be detained by other law enforcement organizations, but because Venezuela refuses to take back nationals who have emigrated to the U.S., ICE has to release them because of a federal court ruling that bars it from detaining migrants indefinitely.

If a migrant in ICE custody is deemed to be a public safety threat, ICE will find a way to keep the person detained, even if it is by another law enforcement organization.