The Trump administration has designated the Venezuelan gang as a foreign terrorist organization.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on June 27 that 2,711 alleged members of the gang Tren de Aragua (TDA) have been arrested in the United States since the beginning of the year.
TDA is a violent criminal organization that originated in Venezuela and has since spread throughout the United States and Latin America. It is engaged in the business of murder for hire, protection rackets, kidnapping, prostitution, theft, and trafficking of both narcotics and women. TDA often recruits young Hispanic men as its members; in the United States, a number of illegal immigrants are members of the group.
During the 2024 presidential election, then-candidate and former President Donald Trump vowed to target gangs such as TDA and Mara Salvatrucha (also known as “MS-13”). Since taking office, Trump has designated such groups as foreign terrorist organizations, which purportedly gives the U.S. government greater powers to apprehend their members within the United States and deport them.
“They are one of the most violent criminal organizations in the world,” Bondi said during a press conference at the White House. “You should all feel safer now that President Trump can deport all of these gangs.”
Bondi spoke after the Supreme Court announced its decision in the case of Trump v. CASA. The justices ruled that U.S. District Courts could not issue nationwide stays and injunctions that universally prohibit a certain government policy; they may issue only actions that are valid within their judicial districts. The ruling will make it difficult for opponents of the Trump administration to obtain preliminary stays of executive orders, proclamations, or other regulatory actions.
“Not one district court judge can think they’re an emperor over this administration, his executive powers, and why the people of the United States elected him,” Bondi said.
Many of the alleged TDA members arrested by the U.S. government, if they are foreign nationals, will be subject to removal proceedings to expel them from the United States.
By Arjun Singh
