Tren de Aragua, a notorious Venezuelan-born gang that has garnered national attention over the past months, could be brought down through President-elect Donald Trump's mass deportation efforts, a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director said.
Ronald Vitiello, who held the position between June 2018 and April 2019, told Newsweek on Monday that the organization could be "dismantled quickly" through the efforts. "In the case of Tren de Aragua, they can be dismantled quickly and definitively because their presence in the United States, although dangerous, has just begun," he said. "They are particularly vulnerable to removal and deportation, and so the United States could end their lawlessness as quickly as it began."
The outlet recalled that Customs and Border Patrol data shows no known Tren de Aragua members were arrested at the southern border before 2023. Ever since it has apprehended 64 of them between fiscal years 2023 and 2024, illustrating how the group was gaining traction in the country.
Tren de Aragua was thrown under the national spotlight when then-candidate Trump said during the presidential debate in September that the gang had "overrun" apartment complexes in the city, a statement quickly disputed by local officials.
"The concerns about Venezuelan gang activity have been grossly exaggerated," said Mayor Mike Coffman, according to an October report by ABC News. He did not deny criminal incidents had taken place, but clarified they were confined to a few apartment complexes in Aurora, a city of over 400,000 residents.
National authorities said in the same month that the gang counts with a known presence in 15 states and a possible presence in eight others. And the Department of Homeland Security recently identified more than 600 migrants in the U.S. who may have connections to the Venezuelan gang.
DHS data says that roughly 100 of the 600 suspects DHS has deemed as "subjects of interest" were confirmed members of Tren de Aragua while also being placed on an FBI watchlist. The others could be victims, witnesses or members of the gang.
Government agencies began working to compile data on Tren de Aragua this spring, according to an NBC News report, after they saw a spike in crime by gang members in New York, Texas and elsewhere.
However, U.S. officials face a daunting challenge determining the exact number of Tren de Aragua members who have crossed into the United States, as Venezuela does not share its criminal histories or other information with its American counterparts.
Law enforcement experts say the figure of 600 suspects illustrates the gap in intelligence about the gang's presence in the country due to the lack of information provided by the Venezuelan government.
Both the Biden administration and Texas Governor Greg Abbott having taken measures to address the issue. In July, the Biden administration sanctioned Tren de Aragua, placing it on a list of transnational criminal organizations alongside MS-13 and Italy's Camorra. The U.S. government has offered $12 million in rewards for information leading to the capture of three gang leaders.
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