A new U.S. intelligence assessment has found no evidence that Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang is coordinated with or supported by the government of President Nicolás Maduro, undermining a key claim used by the Trump administration to invoke the Alien Enemies Act for deporting Venezuelan migrants.
The classified assessment, released this month by the National Intelligence Council, reflects the consensus of 17 of the 18 U.S. intelligence agencies. It determined that while there may have been minimal contact between low-level government officials and gang members, there is no coordination or directive relationship. The FBI was the only agency that did not agree with the findings.
The report contradicts President Trump, who claimed in March that Tren de Aragua had “infiltrated” the Venezuelan government, including its military. Attorney General Pam Bondi echoed this, calling the gang “a foreign arm of the Venezuelan government” on Fox News.
Despite the findings, the Trump administration has used the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport over 130 alleged gang members without court hearings, a move now being legally challenged. The Supreme Court ruled last week that migrants must receive hearings before being removed.
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