A group of Tren de Aragua gang members, some as young as 11 years old, are exploiting the hospitality of a taxpayer-funded shelter at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City while terrorizing Times Square with brazen robberies. Despite their escalating crimes, which now include armed robberies and attacks with knives, the gang has largely managed to avoid serious legal consequences due to their age and the state’s lenient treatment of juvenile offenders, according to a report by the New York Post.
The gang, which refers to themselves as “Los Diablos de la 42” (Little Devils of 42nd Street), consists of roughly 21 members and has become a growing concern for law enforcement in New York City. Assistant Chief Jason Savino, of the NYPD Detective Bureau, detailed the group’s rise from petty crimes like purse snatching to more violent offenses, such as strong-armed robberies and armed assaults. “They’ve committed over 50 robberies in some of New York’s most iconic areas—Central Park, Times Square, and on public transit,” Savino said. “But due to their age and New York’s lenient policies toward juvenile offenders, none of them are in jail.”
Savino expressed concern over how brazen and organized the gang has become. “These individuals are not only committing crimes in packs, but they’ve been bold enough to show off their weapons, including guns, on social media,” Savino explained. “They hang out every day, they post about their activities online, and they communicate using group chat on their government-issued phones. It’s a level of coordination we haven’t seen before, especially for a gang primarily consisting of minors.”
The Roosevelt Hotel, where the group is staying, is a shelter that provides housing and support to migrants and asylum seekers, with government-issued phones and other benefits intended to help them transition into the city. However, the gang has taken advantage of this system, using the hotel as their base of operations while committing crimes across the city. Sources told the New York Post that an older member of the Tren de Aragua gang, known for its violent activities in Venezuela, is leading the group and guiding their criminal activities.
What’s even more alarming for law enforcement is the possibility of an all-out gang war between the Tren de Aragua and one of New York’s most infamous gangs, the Latin Kings. The two groups have a history of bad blood that dates back years, and authorities are worried that the growing presence of the Tren de Aragua in the city could lead to violent confrontations. “There’s already tension between these two gangs, and with Tren de Aragua’s growing influence, we could be looking at a full-scale gang war,” an NYPD official warned.
Despite being arrested multiple times, none of the gang members are in jail, thanks to New York’s lenient juvenile justice laws. Savino pointed out that their youth allows them to evade serious punishment even for armed robberies. “New York’s criminal justice system is not equipped to handle groups like this, especially when so many of them are minors,” Savino said. “You have individuals that are brazen, that have access to guns, and that know they can get away with their crimes because of their age.”
The gang’s crimes have also evolved in severity, starting with purse snatchings and progressing to armed assaults. “They kind of had a graduation of sorts,” Savino explained. “It began with simple thefts, then moved to strong-arm robberies, and now they’re pulling knives and guns on people. It’s a dangerous escalation.”
The situation has caught the attention of national figures, including Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has pledged to launch “Operation Aurora,” a federal crackdown on criminal gangs like Tren de Aragua. Trump has promised that his administration would take a hardline approach to gang violence, not only in New York City but also in smaller cities across the country, such as Aurora, Colorado, where the gang has been linked to organized crime and has taken control of entire apartment complexes.
“The situation in New York is a disaster, and it’s all because of weak leadership,” Trump said in a recent campaign speech. “These gangs are taking over cities, and we have to put a stop to it. Under my leadership, we’ll bring back law and order. We’ll dismantle these criminal networks, and we’ll protect our citizens from these dangerous gangs.”
Meanwhile, the city’s shelter system continues to house the gang members, allowing them to organize and coordinate their criminal activities while evading law enforcement. The brazen behavior of Los Diablos de la 42 has sparked a growing outcry from both residents and city officials, who are demanding a more aggressive response to the gang’s activities.
As the situation escalates, many are left wondering how long it will take for the city to crack down on the gang and bring justice to the victims of their crimes. But with New York’s juvenile justice system in its current state, it remains to be seen whether the city will be able to effectively curb the rising influence of Tren de Aragua and protect its residents from further violence.