WASHINGTON — A recently disclosed U.S. intelligence assessment has found no coordination between the Venezuelan government and the criminal group known as Tren de Aragua, opposing assertions previously made by Trump administration officials to justify the use of the Alien Enemies Act for deporting Venezuelan migrants. This information was shared by U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence report.
The National Intelligence Council released this month’s classified assessment, which is more detailed and authoritative than an earlier report that came out in February and was covered by The New York Times last month. The individuals who reported this information spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not permitted to discuss the matter publicly.
Drawing on inputs from the 18 agencies within the intelligence community, the new report repeatedly highlights that Tren de Aragua, a gang originating from a Venezuelan prison, does not receive coordination or support from President Nicolás Maduro or high-ranking Venezuelan officials. Although the assessment mentions some contact between the gang and minor government members, there is a consensus that no significant coordination or orders link them to the government.
The report provides detailed sources and evidence backing these claims, as stated by the involved officials. Among all U.S. intelligence agencies, the FBI stands as the sole entity differing in its conclusions and not agreeing with the assessment’s findings.
It is not uncommon for intelligence agencies to have differing opinions on issues of considerable public interest. Nevertheless, the consensus reached in this latest assessment is noteworthy for its broad agreement. In historical context, the FBI once assessed under former Director Christopher Wray that the COVID-19 pandemic likely emerged from a lab leak, which did not receive uniform agreement, though recent support came from a declassified CIA assessment.
When asked for remarks, the White House issued a statement from the office of the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard. The statement noted, “President Trump acted decisively and historically in safeguarding our nation by deporting the violent Tren de Aragua terrorists. With these individuals no longer in our cities, some entities have resorted to attacking the President’s successful policies using propaganda.”
The report emerges amid a Supreme Court ruling concerning the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime law, allowing its use for deporting Venezuelan migrants with the condition of court hearings before their removal from the U.S.
Tren de Aragua is associated with numerous crimes, including kidnappings and extortion throughout the Western Hemisphere. Its activities are seen as linked to the massive exodus of Venezuelans fleeing their country’s economic collapse over the past decade.
The Alien Enemies Act was originally designed to grant the president broad powers to imprison and deport noncitizens during wartime. Its application has been rare, most notably during World War II in the detention of Japanese-American civilians.
The American Civil Liberties Union has legally challenged the Trump administration’s use of this law, arguing that the President does not hold authority to apply the Alien Enemies Act to a criminal gang as opposed to a recognized state.
President Donald Trump invoked the act in March, claiming in a public announcement that Tren de Aragua “had close ties and infiltration within the Maduro regime, including its military and law enforcement sectors.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi reiterated this claim during a Fox News interview, defending the use of the wartime law and labeling Tren de Aragua as “an arm of the Venezuelan government.”
“They operate with organization and structure and have entered our country,” Bondi remarked.
In the previous month, the Trump administration leveraged the Alien Enemies Act to deport over 130 men accused of gang affiliation to El Salvador, where U.S.-funded facilities had them detained. These Venezuelans, removed under the act, had no channel to contest the deportation orders. Lawyers representing many of these individuals argue that there is no concrete evidence tying them to the gang.
The Trump administration has posited that the gang operates akin to an invading force, labeling it alongside other crime groups as “foreign terrorist organizations.”
This latest intelligence finding was initially reported by The Washington Post.