El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks will speak to the media Wednesday about a violent Venezuelan gang's presence in El Paso. ABC-7 has been reporting on Tren de Aragua for months, but it wasn't until

Gov. Greg Abbott joined 'America's Newsroom' to discuss how the Lone Star State is cracking down against Venezuelan gang violence and how designating them as foreign terror organizations unlocks more tools to combat the surge.

Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday said the state is launching a crackdown on Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang that has drawn national attention and that the Texas Republican likened to “MS-13 on steroids.” Abbott declared the gang a foreign terrorist organization and directed the state’s Department of Public Safety to ramp up efforts to halt its operations in Texas.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has directed state police to focus on a violent Venezuelan crime syndicate that has gained attention amid a divisive presidential election. Tren de Aragua started as a South American prison gang but has grown into an international organization that dominates human trafficking and has proliferated in Texas in recent months,

Abbott signed a proclamation declaring Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization and directed Texas DPS to create strike teams targeting the gang.