Summary
The Tren de Aragua (TdA) represents a criminal system that was honed and perfected inside Venezuelan prison walls then exported throughout the Western Hemisphere. With a documented presence in no fewer than 20 U.S. states, the TdA is terrorizing urban and suburban communities throughout America. For the Venezuelan regime, the TdA is a tool of asymmetric warfare to destabilize countries while maintaining plausible deniability. Virtually nonexistent in the U.S. prior to 2021, the TdA’s rapid expansion in the United States is a direct consequence of the Biden–Harris Administration’s failed immigration policies and lack of border security. To combat the TdA, the incoming Trump Administration must complement state-led efforts with a robust strategy involving foreign partners and a whole-of-government approach.
Key Takeaways
- The Tren de Aragua is a state-sponsored criminal organization born of the policies of the Venezuelan government, which blend the state with criminal networks.
- The TdA’s goal is to establish territorial control and impose a criminal economy that connects illicit networks to penitentiaries in or near those neighborhoods.
- The new Trump Administration should work with Latin American partners to dismantle the TdA throughout the Western Hemisphere.
By Joseph Humire
Visiting Fellow in the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation
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