A late declassified intelligence memo suggests that Nicolas Maduro, the president of Venezuela, is likely not to directly direct Tren de Aragua’s activities in the United States. But, it claims that at some point, his government and officials will likely handle and engage with the group.
The letter makes an apparent defense for President Donald Trump’s claims that the criminal business “acts at the direction, covert or then, of the Maduro regime in Venezuela,” which he cited to support his repatriation policies, including the use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
A representative from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence honored the results in a speech to the Washington Examiner in a speech to the Washington Examiner.
The spokesperson stated that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence” completely supports the judgment that Tren De Aragua, a foreign terrorist firm, is acting with the support of the Maduro Regime and is therefore subject to arrest, confinement, and treatment as alien enemies of the United States.”
The Trump administration cited Tren de Aragua’s presence in the United States as justification for the Alien Enemies Act, which allows the administrative unit to prosecute or deport citizens from nations that are perceived as angry without standard legal protections, frequently without due process. Trump claimed Tren de Aragua is affiliated with and has influenced the Maduro regime in his ruling buy referencing the law.
According to the intelligence report,” Maduro regime management perhaps occasionally tolerates TDA’s presence in Venezuela, and some government officials may work with TDA for economic gain.”
WHAT CAN I GET FROM TRUMP’S MASS DEPORTATION PLAN?
Tren de Aragua has expanded to at least seven South American nations. It operates through small, tacky cells that primarily engage in low-skill criminal activity. The Maduro regime does not cooperate or direct with the gang, but the memo suggests that some Venezuelan officials may accept its presence for financial or strategic reasons, especially in areas where the government’s influence is weak.
While the Maduro government did not appear to support Tren de Aragua, some U.S. intelligence agencies, including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, think that individual Venezuelan officials have been responsible for facilitating the gang’s migration abroad, according to the memo. These actors are suspected of using Tren de Aragua members as proxies in nations like Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, and the United States to advance what they believe is the regime’s wider goal of undermining regional stability and public safety.
