NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A state lawmaker is requesting additional information from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation after the TBI director warned Tennesseans about a Venezuelan gang.
"They are back. They are back in all of our major cities. They are running human trafficking operations. That is where they start," said TBI Director David Rausch during a state budget hearing back in November.
Rausch was talking about the rise of Tren de Aragua, or TDA, in Tennessee.
"They are here. and they are in numbers here," said Rausch.
"Are they here more so than they might be in other states? Is Tennessee a targeted state?" asked Gov. Bill Lee.
"They’re all over the place, Governor. It’s not just Tennessee," said Rausch.
But Rep. John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville, feels like Director Rausch didn't give enough context in his remarks about the gang.
"We didn’t know anything about it," said Clemmons. "I’m not questioning the integrity of the information or what he’s sharing, what I’m questioning is, why aren’t we getting this information? Our job as legislators is to protect families."
So, two weeks ago, he sent Rausch a letter asking for additional information about where the gang had been spotted and if the department needed additional funding to contain the issue.
"I just asked him: So where’s that intel? What is that information? Please share it with us," said Clemmons.
Clemmons said he still hasn't heard back from Rausch with the information requested. He hasn't even confirmed he got his letter.
Rausch has appeared on U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn's podcast to talk more about the gang.
"If they get in human trafficking, they find that it becomes productive, they take root. And then they start the next phase, which is retail theft. After that, they move into the drug trade," said Rausch, describing the gang's typical evolution in other communities.
Rausch did seem to acknowledge in his interview with Sen. Blackburn that his comments in the state budget hearing caused a bit of a panic.
"I know that caused a lot of challenge, a lot of people got upset about that. They immediately went to thinking, 'this is TDA that is taking over apartment complexes as we’ve seen in other cities.' We’re not there yet but we don’t want to get there," said Rausch.
A spokesperson for the TBI confirmed they've received the letter from Rep. Clemmons and pledged to communicate with lawmakers on this issue. But Clemmons worries, without additional context, the director's warning can cause more harm to multicultural communities than good.
"It’s creating a hostile environment for the families that I represent in southeast Nashville," said Clemmons.
Gang activity
An alleged member of the Venezuelan gang was arrested in Chattanooga back in November. Adelvis Rodridguez-Carmona faces human trafficking charges.
He's among four people facing various prostitution, drug and weapons charges, according to WRCB.
We reached out to Metro Nashville Police Department.
They confirmed that Metro Police is aware of "limited activity" involving the gang in the Nashville area and has notified their officers that the gang can be prone to violence.
A spokesperson says they couldn't comment further on the matter.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
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