The Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua has evolved from a prison organization into a formidable transnational criminal group, prompting U.S. officials to categorize it as a terrorist entity. With connections across Latin America and emerging threats to U.S. security, President Trump has vowed to take decisive action against their activities and members.
Understanding Tren de Aragua: The Venezuelan Gang's Threat Beyond Borders
Understanding Tren de Aragua: The Venezuelan Gang's Threat Beyond Borders
A look into the origins, expansion, and implications of Tren de Aragua as it becomes a focal point in U.S. immigration policy under the Trump administration.
In September 2023, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro made a dramatic move by deploying 11,000 soldiers to storm the Tocorón Prison in Aragua state, aiming to reclaim authority from a potent gang that had transformed the facility into a lavish attraction, complete with amenities like a zoo, restaurants, and a swimming pool. Despite the military operation, the gang's leader, Hector Guerrero Flores, managed to escape. Consequently, Tren de Aragua now finds itself at the center of President Donald Trump’s initiative to remove foreign criminal elements as part of his broader immigration policies that involve mass deportations of undocumented individuals.
Tren de Aragua began as a prison gang but has evolved under Guerrero Flores' leadership into a "transnational criminal organization," according to the U.S. State Department, which has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture. Guerrero Flores, 41, has spent much of his life in and out of the Tocorón facility. Notably, he escaped imprisonment in 2012 through bribery but was apprehended again in 2013, after which he transformed the prison into a leisure hub while expanding gang operations beyond its walls into gold mining and drug trafficking networks along the Caribbean and the Venezuela-Colombia border.
The name "Tren de Aragua," which translates to "Train of Aragua," likely originated from a railroad workers' union that used to extort work site contractors. With its influence now stretching to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile, the gang has not only diversified its criminal activities—venturing into sex trafficking, contract killings, and abductions—but has also established a presence in at least eight additional countries, including the United States.
Though smaller than other major Latin American gangs, Tren de Aragua is said to have roughly 5,000 members and an annual income estimated between $10 million and $15 million. Its violent approach has drawn parallels to the notorious MS-13 gang, with instances of brutal tactics like murder and torture to achieve its ends. Notably, members purportedly disguised themselves as Chilean police to kidnap a Venezuelan military officer, whose remains were later discovered in Santiago.
With Trump invoking the 18th Century Alien Enemies Act, he claims that Tren de Aragua constitutes a direct threat to U.S. national security, alleging that they are waging "irregular warfare" under Maduro's command. Following the designation of Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization, arrests have been made across states like Texas, Florida, New York, and Illinois, connected to serious crimes linked to the gang. Recent estimates suggest that around 600 Venezuelan migrants in the U.S. may have ties to Tren de Aragua, with 100 considered active members, amidst a broader Venezuelan community of approximately 770,000 individuals in the country.
