A member of the violent Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua tried to recruit middle school students in Texas, according to a report from the New York Post.
Reportedly, Jorgenys Robertson Cova, 32, crossed the border illegally two years ago. He is suspected of trying to make contact with students at Jane Long Academy and Las Americas in Houston, federal law enforcement sources told the outlet.
Cova is a Venezuelan national and a confirmed member of Tren de Aragua. Reportedly, he wanted to train the children for a large-scale shoplifting ring in Houston.
Sources said that Cova tried to recruit children because the repercussions are not as severe if they are caught by law enforcement.
“That brings back memories of how the cartels like to operate and use school students to drive load vehicles across the border. And the reason they do that is they tell these juveniles, ‘look, you get caught but nothing is going to happen. You’re going get a slap on the wrist,’ which is pretty much true,” former US Marshal Robert Almonte told The Post.
NEW: DPS Captures Tren de Aragua Gang Member in Houston
— Texas DPS (@TxDPS) October 8, 2024
A confirmed Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang member is now in custody following his arrest on Monday, Oct. 7, by @TxDPS Special Agents in Houston.
Working in collaboration with the Houston Police Department and U.S. Immigration… pic.twitter.com/RqVhWdKvuj
“They’re looking for vulnerable young men and women looking to prove themselves to someone. I hate to say it, but it’s usually fatherless homes,” one unnamed source told the Post.
Reportedly, Cova told authorities that he was incarcerated in Venezuela at one point and was charged for theft. In addition, after he crossed into the states at Eagle Pass, Texas in July 2022, with three kids and a woman he said was his wife, he was released under the supervision of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Predictably, Cova failed to comply with their orders and also was a no show to his later asylum interview.
Since then, he’s led a “theft spree” across Houston, Dallas, and the state of Arizona. He reportedly led a crew of ten Tren de Aragua members in stealing thousands of dollars of merchandise from high-end stores (via NYP):
In July 2023, cops in Houston arrested Cova for felony theft, but he was let go the next day after posting $1,000 bond.
In April of this year, Cova was arrested for two separate theft incidents, including one in which he allegedly led a crew that included a child to shoplift $3,600 worth of perfumes from an Ulta Beauty store in Arizona. The charges were ultimately dropped.
The next month, Cova was arrested for shoplifting, but those charges were again dropped.
Townhall previously covered how Tren de Aragua is clashing with gangs in Chicago. Before this, the gang made headlines for "taking over" apartment complexes and wreaking havoc on residents in Aurora, Colorado.