A Tren de Aragua gang member has been busted after allegedly trying to recruit middle school students, according to cops — and experts warn that it’s a sign the brutal Venezuelan gang has already infiltrated American schools.
Jorgenys Robertson Cova, 32, who has multiple arrests for theft since crossing the border illegally two years ago, is suspected of trying to make contact with students at Jane Long Academy and Las Americas in Houston, federal law enforcement sources told The Post.
Cova, a Venezuelan migrant and confirmed member of Tren de Aragua, wanted to train the kids for a large-scale shoplifting ring across the city, authorities said.
He targeted the young teens because they face few consequences when they’re caught, the sources said.
Former US Marshal Robert Almonte told The Post that it’s very likely that Tren de Aragua members have enrolled in American schools.
“That brings back memories of how the cartels like to operate and use school students to drive load vehicles across the border. And the reason they do that is they tell these juveniles, ‘look, you get caught but nothing is going to happen. You’re going get a slap on the wrist,’ which is pretty much true,” said Almonte.
Multiple sources who work in Homeland Security confirmed that recruiting “vulnerable” kids is a priority for Tren de Aragua — whose members can entice students with money and a promise of few consequences if they’re busted.
“They’re looking for vulnerable young men and women looking to prove themselves to someone. I hate to say it, but it’s usually fatherless homes,” said one source.
Texas authorities nabbed Cova after learning he lived in the Houston area, was suspected of ties to Tren de Aragua and had a warrant for theft out of Pearland, Texas, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Cova was also found to have the Tren de Aragua signature tattoos of a five-point crown, a clock, which typically signifies time spent in prison, and roses.
Cova had previously told authorities he was incarcerated for a time in Venezuela, where he was also charged for theft, per sources.
But this wasn’t Cova’s first rodeo.
Cova had his first encounter with US law enforcement at the border in Eagle Pass, Texas, in July 2022, when he crossed with three kids and a woman he said was his wife. He was released under the supervision of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), but failed to comply with their orders and also was a no show to his later asylum interview.
From there, he began his theft spree across Houston, Dallas and Arizona, where he led a crew of 10 TdA gangbangers in stealing thousands of dollars of merchandise from high-end stores, according to law enforcement sources.
The squad was seen in pictures and videos with drugs, automatic firearms and stacks of cash.
In July 2023, cops in Houston arrested Cova for felony theft, but he was let go the next day after posting $1,000 bond.
In April of this year, Cova was arrested for two separate theft incidents, including one in which he allegedly led a crew that included a child to shoplift $3,600 worth of perfumes from an Ulta Beauty store in Arizona. The charges were ultimately dropped.
The next month, Cova was arrested for shoplifting, but those charges were again dropped.