The violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, now recognized as a national security threat under the Trump administration, began in El Paso. For years, the FBI and Border Patrol have been sounding alarms, warning that this ruthless gang was on the rise. Their concerns fell on deaf ears until the gang’s reach began to infiltrate cities across the U.S.

For the first time, Fox News sat down in El Paso with leaders from Border Patrol and the FBI, who were the first to discover and identify TdA.

“We were really able to sound the alarm working together, I think it immediately became obvious that this was not just some other street gang, but this was a very violent gang with very bad intentions,” interim Chief Patrol Agent for the El Paso Sector Walter Slosar said.

When asked about the violence associated with TdA, FBI and Border Patrol leaders pointed out the group’s disregard for humanity and the law. They described the gang as involved in drug trafficking human trafficking, extortion and modern slavery.

“Sex trafficking, extortion, thefts, the high-end retail theft, any type of anything to be able to make money and any type of violence you can think of is certainly on the table with these guys,” Border Patrol Special Operations Supervisor Hamid Nikseresht said.

It took years for the public to become aware of TdA, as many initially dismissed or refused to believe the warnings from FBI and Border Patrol agents in El Paso. Even the mayor of El Paso suggested the claims were exaggerated after the gang was linked to criminal activity at the Gateway Hotel in downtown El Paso, which ultimately had to shut down due to criminal activity.

“Regarding the Gateway, that is not an exaggeration,” Morales said. “It’s not an exaggeration. Folks need to understand that. Tren de Aragua has no limits, has no boundaries and… there’s no stopping them once they get the foothold, which is why it’s so important for folks to understand it is real. It is a real threat.”

Those investigators said they believed it was not until TdA began spreading across the country, infiltrating various cities, that higher-level officials started to take the threat seriously.

Britton Boyd, Assistant Special Agent in Charge El Paso FBI, and Walter Slosar, interim Chief Patrol Agent El Paso Sector, talked about the threat of the Tren de Aragua gang. (Getty Images | Fox News)

“I think they heard it loud and clear when their criminal enterprise started to manifest itself throughout the United States,” Slosar said. “And, I think that’s what really sounded the alarm, when we started seeing it in Middle America.”

The El Paso field office reported that it quickly realized the TdA would follow migrant pathways, finding new cities to infiltrate and grow their networks.

“They’ll go into the town, they’ll infiltrate, and they’re going to target the most vulnerable folks there,” Morales said.

FBI and Border Patrol agents said they finally have felt heard as the Trump administration has now prioritized taking down Tren de Aragua.

“We all took an oath to defend this country, and we’re now able to do our jobs to the fullest extent,” Sullivan said.

“It’s a transformative moment in the modern history of United States law enforcement, where men and women are enabled and encouraged to go out and do their jobs and keep our community safe,” Boyd added.