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Intelligence services in the U.S. challenge Trump's assertions about the Tren de Aragua project.

A recently declassified document suggests that Venezuela's administration has no hand in managing the activities of U.S. gangs, challenging Trump's justification for deporting migrants to El Salvador, as it might have been based on false assumptions.

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Intelligence services in the U.S. challenge Trump's assertions about the Tren de Aragua project.

From the Street to the Oval Office: Unraveling the Tren de Aragua Saga

U.S. news

A declassified intelligence memo from U.S. agencies challenges President Donald Trump's assertions that Venezuela's government governs the Tren de Aragua gang, a group Trump has accused of terrorist activities resulting in deportation of immigrants to a violent El Salvador prison.

The memorandum, drafted by the National Intelligence Council (NIC), reveals that the Nicolás Maduro regime in Venezuela tolerates criminal gangs, including the Tren de Aragua, but it does not organize or direct their operations within the U.S. "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," the memo asserts.

The NIC released the memo in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request made by the Freedom of the Press Foundation, a nonprofit organization. The foundation shared the five-page document with NBC News. Entitled "Venezuela: Examining regime ties to Tren de Aragua," the memo includes some censored portions.

The New York Times reported the memo's details on Monday.

Trump utilized the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 after labeling Tren de Aragua an invading force. However, this 200-year-old law is designed for use during wartime. Trump and his associates have repeatedly alleged that the gang functions under Venezuelan government control.

"TdA is undertaking hostile actions and conducting irregular warfare against the territory of the United States both directly and at the direction, clandestine or otherwise, of the Maduro regime in Venezuela," Trump declared in his proclamation invoking the act.

Deportations to the notorious El Salvador prison have been a consequence of Trump's actions.

The intelligence community bases its evaluation of Tren de Aragua on evidence that the Venezuelan government views the gang as a threat, an uneasy interplay of cooperation and disruption rather than a top-down directive, and Tren de Aragua's decentralized nature.

While the FBI concurred with other intelligence agencies' general assessment, FBI analysts indicated that some Venezuelan government officials possibly assist Tren de Aragua members in migrating to the U.S. and use them as proxies to destabilize foreign governments and undermine public safety in countries including Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and the United States.

The Washington Post first reported the existence of the memo, and the Times previously reported intelligence contradictions regarding the cartel and its ties to the Venezuelan government.

The Trump administration has condemned media coverage of the issue as misleading and announced investigations into leaks. The Department of Justice claimed the media reporting was a catalyst for modifying leak investigation policies.

Lauren Harper of the Freedom of the Press Foundation asserted that the memo undermines the administration's claims that the information in the document posed a danger to public safety.

"The Trump administration claimed that the leak of this memo was so dangerous that it necessitated opening criminal investigations and creating new, stricter rules around leaks to the media. We wanted to see if that was true - or if the Justice Department was weakening journalists' protections to help hide a document that the public has an obvious right to see," Harper stated.

The declassified memo "not only shows that the Maduro regime does not direct Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua; it shows the DOJ's new media rules are an excuse to target journalists," Harper added.

The Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard, asserted that the news media manipulates intelligence assessments about foreign criminal gangs to discredit the President's agenda to safeguard the American people.

Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, the Republican chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, applauded Trump's efforts to safeguard Americans from criminal gangs. Cotton added he eagerly anticipates journalists challenging his Democratic colleagues regarding their defense of foreign aggressors.

Virginia Senator Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, stressed that the Maduro regime is not Tren de Aragua's sponsor.

"It's extremely concerning to see the DNI misrepresent nonpartisan Intelligence Community assessments. It's even more alarming to see this happening as part of an effort to support Donald Trump's unconstitutional attempts to expel migrants without due process," Warner cautioned.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in an op-ed that the dubious ties between Tren de Aragua and the regime are irrelevant if the gang acts on orders from Venezuelan leaders or for self-enrichment. Rubio insisted Tren de Aragua results in deaths on behalf of a foreign government, and the government has encouraged its entry to the U.S. to advance its interests.

  1. The declassified intelligence memo questions President Trump's claims that the Venezuelan government governs the Tren de Aragua gang, a group accused of terrorist activities and deportations.
  2. The National Intelligence Council (NIC) memo asserts that while the Venezuelan government tolerates criminal gangs, including the Tren de Aragua, it does not organize or direct their operations within the U.S.
  3. The FBI agreed with other intelligence agencies' assessment that Tren de Aragua enjoys a permissive environment in Venezuela, but some analysts pointed to possible assistance from Venezuelan government officials to Tren de Aragua members migrating to the U.S.
  4. Lauren Harper of the Freedom of the Press Foundation asserted that the declassified memo contradicts the administration's claims about the dangers posed by the leak of the document and suggests new media rules are used to target journalists.
  5. Senator Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, pointed out that the Maduro regime is not the sponsor of Tren de Aragua, expressing concern about the Director of National Intelligence misrepresenting nonpartisan Intelligence Community assessments in support of the President's agenda.
U.S. migration deportation policy called into question following declassified memo suggesting that Venezuela's administration is not controlling activities of gangs operating within the U.S., challenging the basis for the Trump administration's decision to expel migrants to El Salvador.
Declassified document reveals Venezuelan administration denies controlling American gang activities, challenging Trump's justification for expelling migrants to El Salvador.
U.S. declassified document contradicts Trump's claims, suggesting Venezuelan government not managing gang activities within America, potentially challenging basis for deporting migrants to El Salvador.

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