A National Intelligence Council report released to the public on May 6 seems to contradict President Donald Trump’s claims that the gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) is coordinating with the Venezuelan socialist regime, a claim that has been key to Trump’s efforts to use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 against the group.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence report specifically found, “While Venezuela’s permissive environment enables TDA to operate, the Maduro regime probably does not have a policy of cooperating with TDA and is not directing TDA movement to and operations in the United States.”
Rather, the report said, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s regime “treats TDA as a threat.”
On March 17, Trump issued a proclamation declaring members of TdA, which is currently recognized by the United States government as a terrorist organization, as eligible for deportation under the Alien Enemies Act.
That legislation, part of the Alien and Sedition Acts enacted during the naval quasi-war between the United States and France, authorizes the president to “apprehend, restrain, secure and remove, as alien enemies” citizens of a hostile nation during a declared war or at a time of “invasion” or “predatory incursion.”
Trump immediately faced legal challenges over the push, with critics questioning the extent of the ties between TdA and the Venezuelan regime.
In spite of its broad assessment that cooperation between the criminal gang and Maduro is minimal, the report found that there are sometimes “ad-hoc” examples of regime officials working with TdA for certain ends within the country.
“Maduro regime leadership probably sometimes tolerates TDA’s presence in Venezuela, and some government officials may cooperate with TDA for financial gain,” the report said.
The report said that these relationships “have been ad-hoc and reportedly driven by the regime’s desire for help controlling territory or deterring a perceived threat of invasion, or for individual financial gain.”
It added that the Maduro regime tends to allow criminal organizations to operate within Venezuela but “does combat and seek to contain them when it fears they could destabilize the regime or when corrupt deals sour.” In part, the report said, this is a result of Venezuela’s inability to control its entire territory.
By Joseph Lord
