A declassified memo reveals that US intelligence agencies deny that the government of President Nicolás Maduro of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela controls the defunct Tren de Aragua (Aragua Train) criminal gang, thus contradicting Donald Trump’s justification for mass deportations of Venezuelans under the Alien Enemies Act.
The document, released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, indicates that there is no evidence that the Venezuelan government directs it: «A permissive environment does not equal cooperation,» it states. This conclusion undermines Trump’s argument for sending Venezuelans to prison in El Salvador without due process.
The release of the memo follows investigations by The New York Times and The Washington Post, which had already reported in March on intelligence doubts about President Maduro’s ties to the aforementioned gang. The Trump administration accused the media of «misleading information» and opened an investigation into leaks, but the declassification now supports the news reports.
Although the FBI maintained that «some Venezuelan officials could facilitate the migration of gang members,» most agencies, including the CIA, considered this connection «not credible.» The memo also questions testimony from detainees and suggests that «they could fabricate links with Maduro to reduce sentences.»
The Alien Enemies Act requires a clear link between deportees and a hostile government. Trump insisted that the defunct Tren de Aragua gang was acting under Maduro’s orders, but the memo refutes this: «There is no evidence of communication or financing to support such a relationship.»
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is now demanding that deported Venezuelans be returned for fair immigration hearings. Meanwhile, the administration has not commented on the memo, which weakens its strategy against Venezuela.