In Caracas, debates ignite around U.S. President Donald Trump’s rigorous migration policies, prominently highlighting the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua. The group is viewed by some as a merciless international crime syndicate, while others perceive it as a potential excuse for an exaggerated anti-immigrant dialogue.
On Saturday, Trump declared Tren de Aragua an invading force as he leveraged the Alien Enemies Act, a rarely used authority from 1798, granting the president power to deport noncitizens during wartime. This invocation led to the deportation of hundreds to El Salvador, despite a federal judge temporarily halting such actions. The flights had already ascended when the ruling was issued.
The Alien Enemies Act mandates that a president must declare the U.S. at war, bestowing extraordinary powers to detain or expel foreigners, even those protected under typical immigration or criminal laws. This authority has been exercised just three times, with the most notable instance being the detention of Japanese-American civilians during World War II.
The Trump administration hasn’t revealed the identities of over 200 deportees nor substantiated claims that they are Tren de Aragua members or have engaged in any U.S.-based criminal activity.
The Tren de Aragua gang is gaining notoriety across the U.S., being accused of heinous activities ranging from sex trafficking and drug smuggling to police shootings. Trump informed Congress that a Venezuelan migrant, convicted of murdering 22-year-old Laken Riley at the University of Georgia, belonged to the gang. However, clarity around the gang’s size and operational coordination across U.S. states and borders remains elusive.
The gang caught political attention in the U.S. after a security footage emerged, showing heavily armed men entering an Aurora, Colorado apartment prior to a fatal shooting. Trump responded by promising to “liberate Aurora” from purported takeovers by Venezuelans.
Authorities initially minimized the threat, but the apartment complex later faced closure over suspicions of Tren de Aragua’s involvement in local kidnappings and assaults. Most individuals seen in the footage have since been arrested, with connections to gang activity alleged by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Tren’s origins date back over a decade to an unlawful prison in Aragua, Venezuela. Its influence recently expanded as over 7.7 million Venezuelans fled the nation’s economic plight under President Nicolás Maduro, migrating to other Latin American countries or the U.S.
Nations including Peru and Colombia, hosting sizable Venezuelan migrant communities, attribute regional violence sprees to the gang amid historically high murder rates. The gang’s notorious criminal activities, including extortion and forced ‘protection’ fees, create fear in impoverished neighborhoods. In the U.S., the gang operates loosely and does not require tattoos, unlike many Central American gangs.
Recently deported Venezuelans allege that U.S. authorities misjudged their tattoos as indicative of gang affiliation to justify deportations.
On his initial day in office, Trump sought to categorize the gang as a “foreign terrorist organization,” equating it with several Mexican drug cartels. Under the Biden administration, the group was sanctioned, with a $12 million bounty offered for capturing three of its leaders.
Trump’s recent executive order accused the gang of collaborating with top Maduro officials, notably Tareck El Aissami, to exploit migration pathways, trafficking cocaine into the U.S., and scheming against the nation. Such actions portray the gang as a hybrid criminal state intruding upon the U.S.
Wes Tabor, formerly leading the DEA’s Venezuela office, thinks Trump’s decision empowers federal agencies in arresting immigrants, potentially curbing the gang’s U.S. activities. Tabor advocates for creating a comprehensive database akin to efforts against El Salvador’s MS-13, incorporating biometric, arrest, and intelligence data from international partners.
In Venezuela, officials express confusion at the heightened U.S. interest in Tren de Aragua, claiming to have dismantled the gang in 2023 after reclaiming the notorious prison. They have stipulated their cooperation on U.S. deportation flights on making strides in strained bilateral relations.
Jorge Rodriguez, Maduro’s key negotiator with the U.S., accused Washington of perpetuating false narratives about the gang, claiming most Venezuelan immigrants are upstanding. He denounced the transfer of immigrants to El Salvador as kidnappings, pledging to challenge these “crimes against humanity” in international forums.
Rodriguez stressed that Venezuelans extradited to El Salvador shouldn’t be imprisoned as they haven’t committed crimes there. He pleaded for their return, asserting willingness to negotiate extensively, even suggesting engaging adversary nations, to ensure their repatriation.
