Wanted Tren de Aragua gang member arrested on day of his asylum hearing in Houston area

PEARLAND, Texas – As the push to crack down on members of the notorious Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) continues, state officials say they caught a wanted member out of the Houston area.

EXPLAINER: ‘MS13 on steroids’: What is TdA and why is it so dangerous?

Jorgenys Robertson Cova, 32, was expected to make his asylum hearing on Monday but instead was placed in handcuffs, the Texas DPS confirmed in a press release. Investigators said Cova, of Venezuela, was living in the Houston area, where someone reached out to a DPS special agent of a “suspected” TdA member in late September.

Further investigation revealed Cova was actually wanted for theft out of Pearland. That’s how officials were able to later discover he had tattoos on his arms that shared TdA markings (a five-point crown and a clock and roses.)

SEE ALSO: Gov. Greg Abbott announces crackdown on Venezuelan gang

On Monday, during what was supposed to be his scheduled asylum hearing, Cova was taken into custody and booked in the Brazoria County Jail. As part of Governor Greg Abbot’s mission order to crack down on TdA gang members, his Public Safety Office is offering rewards of up to $5,000 for any information leading to the arrest of known or suspected members.

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