EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – A Texas state district judge has given the owners of a Downtown El Paso hotel until 10 a.m. Thursday to vacate the building.
The 90-day injunction signed Tuesday by District Court Judge Maria Salas Mendoza comes after the El Paso County Attorney’s Office alleged multiple health violations and criminal activity.
The 77-page document includes allegations from El Paso Police Department officers that criminal activity ramped up when members of the Venezuela-based Tren de Aragua transnational criminal organization introduced themselves to the hotel.
The document cites at least five instances of law enforcement run-ins with Tren de Aragua members. One involves an assault on a male at the corner of Oregon Street and Father Rahm Avenue, near the Sacred Heart migrant shelter last June.
The male was stripped of his backpack by several men who punched him in the face, pulled out a handgun, fired a shot in the air and told the victim he would be killed if he went to the police. The document alleges police believe the lead assailant is a member of Tren de Aragua and “hangs out” at the Gateway Hotel.
Another allegation is that authorities last July saw people without visible IDs or hotel insignia looking at paperwork behind the front desk and that a police officer took note of Tren de Aragua members being at the hotel.
Border Patrol units are seen outside the Gateway Hotel on Sept. 10, 2024, in Downtown El Paso, Texas (Tony Piña/KTSM)
In early August, police officers responded to a report of loud noise and alcohol consumption around 4 a.m. on the second floor of the Gateway. Four officers reported discarded beer cans and cigarette butts on the second floor and piles of trash and furniture blocking a fire exit in the hallway. The officers believe at least one of the residents as a Tren de Aragua member, the document alleges.
In late August, El Paso Police noticed cooking fumes coming out of a room at the hotel where Venezuelan nationals, including one with a tattoo consistent with the Tren de Aragua gang, were walking out.
In a statement late Tuesday afternoon, County Attorney Christina Sanchez said the gang’s presence doesn’t mean they have taken over the hotel or that such is the reason for seeking the injunction.
“It’s important to clarify that this lawsuit was not prompted by criminal activities attributed
to any specific group or gang. The lawsuits are strategic tools aimed at swiftly and
effectively addressing public safety concerns, enforcing legal standards, and safeguarding the
community from persistent or escalating issues,” she said in the statement. “I want to be clear that at no time did we allege in our lawsuit that the hotel was taken over by any gang or group of individuals.”
Hotel management has not responded to the allegations. A permanent injunction will be discussed at a court hearing scheduled for Dec. 9.