Human trafficking operations by a Venezuelan gang have increased in Tennessee's four largest cities.

The TdA gang is experiencing a surge in activity in Tennessee's four major cities, according to a top law enforcement official, who attributes the problem to the "porous" southern border.

On "Fox & Friends" on Friday, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch stated that this gang has taken advantage of [the border].

The gang has been operating human trafficking in Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga, and is expanding into other criminal activities, according to Rausch.

"The criminal organization progresses from human trafficking to organized retail crime theft, and eventually enters the drug trade, engaging in violent, bloody battles with the cartels."

TdA has "zero respect" for police and has attacked law enforcement throughout the U.S. The group was caught two years ago in a trafficking operation, but has returned in recent years.

Law enforcement faces challenges in combating TdA-related activity when suspects lack immigration detainers, according to Rausch.

If we encounter them with a detainer, we can arrest them. Otherwise, we can only observe and ensure they don't break the law, which is a difficult task. Rausch described it as a "cat and mouse" game that's becoming increasingly dangerous.

During a budget hearing, Gov. Bill Lee (R) was cautioned by Rausch about the revival of gangs in significant Tennessee cities.

Last month, the Department of Homeland Security recommended placing over 100 migrants with suspected ties to a violent Venezuelan gang on an FBI watchlist, following the agency's identification of over 600 individuals with possible connections overall.

DHS has identified over 600 individuals with possible ties to Tren de Aragua, and 100 of them are considered "subjects of interest." Planet Chronicle has confirmed that it recommended these individuals be placed on the FBI's Watchlist for Transnational Criminal Organizations.

The gang, which is believed to have originated in the Tocoron prison in Venezuela's Aragua state, has since spread to several other countries, including Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and the U.S. According to DHS, the identities of the gang members were discovered during an ongoing re-screening operation aimed at combating the gang.

Planet Chronicle' Adam Shaw contributed to this report.