Governor Abbott demands Harris declare Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization

AUSTIN, Texas (KVIA) -- Texas Governor Greg Abbott is demanding that Vice President Kamala Harris declare Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization.

Governor Abbott stated that he would like to see Harris make the declaration during her visit to Houston today.

"Vice President Harris must follow Texas’ lead and designate Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization immediately," Abbott stated today. "But that's just a start. The Biden-Harris Administration must use the full weight of the federal government to eradicate them once and for all."

Abbott highlighted the murder of Houston teen Jocelyn Nungaray, who Abbott says died at the hands of members of the Venezuelan gang, as a reason why the declaration is needed.

"Last month, Governor Abbott launched a comprehensive, statewide operation to aggressively target TdA to disrupt their criminal operations and deny their foothold in Texas," a spokesperson for the Governor's Office explained. "The Governor also designated TdA as a foreign terrorist organization and directed the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to elevate them to a Tier 1 gang and to create a TdA Strike Team to identify and arrest TdA gang members. Working in collaboration with federal and local partners in the Houston Texas Anti-Gang Center, DPS recently captured and arrested a TdA gang member in Houston."