The Department of Justice announced murder and kidnapping charges on Wednesday against eight illegal migrants who are allegedly members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang.The charges were filed for two separate crimes.In one case, four men allegedly murdered a father in front of his teenage daughter outside Dallas, Texas, said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.In the other case, three men were accused of kidnapping a man in Chicago before beating and shooting him to death.All eight defendants crossed the U.S.-Mexico border between December 2021 and April 2024, according to Blanche.TRUMP SAYS US MILITARY ELIMINATED ‘INFAMOUS’ TREN DE ARAGUA LEADER IN LETHAL STRIKEActing Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks as FBI director Kash Patel listens during a news conference at the Department of Justice, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)"None of these men should have been in this country.The father in Texas should be alive today.
His daughter and nephew should have never been kidnapped.The young victim in Chicago should be alive," Blanche said, before placing blame at the feet of the Biden administration for its "open border" policies.U.S.
Attorney Ryan Raybould, who leads Texas' northern district, said the victims outside Dallas were a man, along with his 13-year-old daughter and 12-year-old nephew.On August 24, 2024, the four alleged TdA members kidnapped them all in the middle of the night and demanded money from the father, Raybould said."Once the TDA members realized the man could not pay them any money, they pulled over by a bridge in Dallas and told the man to jump off.When he refused to do so and attempted to flee, a TDA member gunned him down execution style in front of the two children," Raybould said.VENEZUELAN GANG MEMBERS WHO ENTERED US ILLEGALLY PLEAD GUILTY TO GUNNING DOWN TWO UNARMED AMERICANSIn this handout photo provided by the Salvadoran government, guards escort inmates allegedly linked to criminal organizat...