Texas County Officials Work to Shut Down Venezuelan Gang's Hotel Takeover
Video footage reveals suspected Tren de Aragua members engaging in drinking and festivities with kids present.
The Texas hotel could face closure due to 693 police calls in two years related to suspected illegal and gang-related activity, according to legal documents.
The Gateway Hotel in El Paso, Texas, has been temporarily and permanently banned from operating after the discovery of "habitual criminal activity" that violates the CPRC and contributes to the overall negative impact on downtown El Paso. The El Paso County Attorney's Office alleges that the hotel has a large volume of calls for service and that police reports show that the hotel has been involved in additional crimes. The complaint also accuses the hotel of being a site for prostitution, drug consumption, gang activity, and illegal dumping.
The Gateway Hotel in El Paso has been operating without a valid certificate of occupancy for the past six years, in direct violation of city requirements. The hotel, built in 1903, has failed at least three fire inspections since July. An aggravated assault that took place at the hotel on June 16, 2024, revealed the deplorable state of the inside of the building. A video from the assault case shows dozens of people partying on the 3rd floor of the hotel, drinking, smoking, and dancing provocatively while children are present. The video also shows at least one gun being shot, another used to threaten, men holding knives, and another man with a hatchet assaulting people and causing damage to the hotel in front of a security guard. The Tren de Aragua criminal activity at the Gateway Hotel in El Paso is part of a dangerous trend of building takeovers across Colorado.
Congressman Tony Gonzales commended law enforcement for their successful operation against Tren de Aragua, a transnational gang with around 5,000 members based in Venezuela. The gang is known for engaging in illegal drug dealing, sex trafficking, and carrying unauthorized firearms. Some of the gang members in the United States are illegal aliens. Gonzales has pushed for the designation of TDA as a transnational criminal organization and has advocated for providing more tools to security agencies to shut down their operations. El Paso, historically one of the nation's safest cities, has been targeted by the gang, and Gonzales is committed to keeping it that way.
Congressman Chip Roy expressed his concern about the pervasiveness of the problem of Venezuelan gang activity in El Paso, stating that the shutdown of a hotel due to such activity highlights the severity of the issue. Meanwhile, El Paso County Attorney Christina Sanchez released a statement expressing her concern for the well-being of the families, senior citizens, veterans, and children residing at the hotel who will need to evacuate by 10:00 am on Thursday, September 12, 2024. The Gateway Hotel's owner, Howard Yun, did not respond to Planet Chronicle Digital's request for comment.
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