A recent evaluation of the measures taken by President Trump to deport members of the Tren de Aragua gang has garnered significant attention by reaching an almost unanimous conclusion. The statement asserts that the president took necessary and historic actions to protect the country by deporting these terrorist criminals. This evaluation follows the Supreme Court allowing the government to use the Foreign Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan migrants, although they must now have court hearings before being expelled.
The Tren de Aragua gang has been linked to various crimes in the Western Hemisphere, including kidnappings and extortion. This gang is associated with the exodus of millions of Venezuelans who left their country due to the economic collapse of the last decade. The Foreign Enemies Act, dating back to 1798 and invoked only three times, grants the president the authority to detain and deport foreigners in times of war.
Trump mentioned that the Tren de Aragua gang is linked to the Maduro government, and his administration used this law to deport more than 130 gang members to El Salvador. However, lawyers for the deported individuals have pointed out that there is no evidence linking them to this criminal organization. A new U.S. intelligence assessment contradicts the government's claims by finding no evidence of coordination between the gang and the Venezuelan government.
Despite revealing minimal contacts between some gang members and low-level Venezuelan officials, the assessment concluded that there is no direct coordination between the two parties. Of the 18 U.S. intelligence agencies, only the FBI disagreed with these findings. The assessment highlights that the Tren de Aragua gang does not have support or direction from high-ranking officials in the Venezuelan government.
