The FBI has made public unclassified portions of its classified intelligence assessment, which found that the deadly Venezuelan Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang is probably a government proxy working to undermine the safety of Americans.
The assessment stated that Venezuelan government officials likely facilitate the migration of the TdA gang members into the United States to achieve their objectives.
Immediately after taking office, President Trump classified foreign gangs, including TdA and MS-13, as foreign terrorist organizations. He also had described the illegal immigration crisis as a foreign invasion and invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to facilitate the removal of foreign citizens from the country.
“This is an invasion. This is like a military invasion,” Trump said during the campaign. “Drugs, criminals, gang members and terrorists are pouring into our country at record levels. We’ve never seen anything like it. They’re taking over our cities.”
However, Democrats criticized him for using “dehumanizing” language that could jeopardize the security of illegal immigrants. Democrats are also currently flocking to El Salvador to bring back a foreign national allegedly linked to gang activity and human trafficking.
Other countries that the Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro likely uses the Tren de Aragua gang to destabilize include Chile, Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia. The FBI expects the operation to spread across South America.
The FBI also warns that in the next 18 months, Maduro will use the gang to intimidate, abduct, and kill Venezuelans in the United States who are critical of his government.
“These findings should shock Americans but not the law enforcement community,” an official told Fox News Digital. “They reflect the sentiments of numerous other intelligence assessments across multiple agencies.”
Similarly, an Office of the Director of National Intelligence official also told Fox News that the Tren de Aragua gang benefits from the situation in Venezuela. He also disclosed that the government gives sanctuary to TdA members and welcomes them back from the United States, likely to be deployed elsewhere across the region. Ironically, Maduro agreed to accept Venezuelans deported from the United States, who initially mostly consisted of violent criminals and gang members.
Meanwhile, Trump officials have vowed to use every tool in their arsenal to remove members of the violent Venezuelan gang from the country despite mounting legal challenges. Recently, the Supreme Court halted the removal of Venezuelan TdA gang members under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
“We are confident in the lawfulness of the administration’s actions and in ultimately prevailing against an onslaught of meritless litigation brought by radical activists who care more about the rights of terrorist aliens than those of the American people,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
On April 23, federal prosecutors charged 27 members of the Tren de Aragua gang in a landmark RICO case, accusing them of drug trafficking, carjacking, robbery, extortion, and firearms offenses.
“Tren de Aragua is not just a street gang,” said Bondi. “It is a highly structured terrorist organization that has destroyed American families with brutal violence, engaged in human trafficking, and spread deadly drugs through our communities.”
Besides Venezuela, other foreign governments, including China, are also likely exploiting the unchecked illegal migration to smuggle their dangerous national actors across the border.
