'Ink'ling of gang threat in El Paso

Migrants with potential gang tattoos were spotted on the streets of El Paso, Texas, this week, spreading fresh fear that gangs from south of the border are sending members to wreak havoc in the US.

Three men (pictured) with crown tattoos on their necks were spotted by The Post outside Sacred Heart Church on Wednesday — a location that has long been a refuge for those who have crossed the border illegally, as they are not able to enter shelters run by the city.

Memos circulated by the Department of Homeland Security and the NYPD have identified crown tattoos, particularly on the neck, as having gang associations; including with the Latin Kings and El Tren de Aragua.

Yorbis, one of the migrants with the neck tattoos, spoke to The Post about Texas’ new law allowing police to arrest those who have entered the country illegally. The law, known as SB4, is currently blocked while it is debated in the courts.

“It doesn’t worry me,” Yorbis, who is Venezuelan and didn’t want to give a last name, said while riding a bike up and down the street. He wouldn’t answer further questions, and it remains unknown is Yorbis is affiliated with a gang.

One of the other tattooed migrants covered his neck showing the crown tattoo when he saw The Post was filming him.

The tattooed migrants and their friends looked different from many of the near penniless, exhausted hordes who trekked for thousands of miles through south and Central America and spoke to The Post in El Paso last year.

One of them had a car he said he had bought in Texas for $2,000, which had temporary paper license plates. The migrant, who did not identify himself, said he was in the country legally with a court date in 2025. He said he had been working as a driver for Uber.

Another migrant in the group had an ankle monitor, placed on him by federal authorities as part of his parole allowing him in the country.

The men had become friends, leaving their families back in Venezuela, they said. The men would beg passing drivers for cash, latching onto moving cars.

El Paso is the border crossing where the alleged killer of Laken Riley came into the US in September 2022.

Jose Ibarra, accused of killing Riley on Feb. 22, was a member of El Tren de Aragua, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement documents.

Jose’s brother Diego, who is also a reputed member of the gang, entered in El Paso as well and was bearing the “five-point crown on the left side of his neck,” according to ICE.

Residents of the area told The Post they don’t feel secure in their own neighborhoods.

Dolores Chacon told The Post she feels “unsafe,” sharing that her local drug store had to lock up items due to rampant theft.

“I’ve seen more products being locked up. I was so surprised seeing it here,” she said.

“If there’s one, there’s more,” Chacon said of the Ibarra brothers’ crossings in the area.

Local Bill Jackson told The Post: “I don’t feel safe in my community.”

Jackson, who is a retired Border Patrol agent, said he “absolutely” believes gang members who come through El Paso will be coming to other US cities.

The NYPD recently informed officers of El Tren de Aragua “newly established presence in New York City,” sharing a number of tattoos to look out for, including the crown.