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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents recently brought an international crime syndicate into the spotlight by shooting two individuals in Portland. These individuals are alleged to have connections to the notorious Tren de Aragua gang, a claim that has stirred significant attention.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security stated on Friday that the pair involved in the shooting lacked legal status in the United States and were believed to be affiliated with the Tren de Aragua. However, officials have yet to provide detailed evidence to substantiate these allegations.
The Tren de Aragua gang has long been a concern for U.S. authorities, having been designated as a “Transnational Criminal Organization” by the Biden administration in 2024. This group has notably been cited by the Trump administration as a key reason for tightening immigration policies. Under President Donald Trump, Tren de Aragua was labeled a “foreign terrorist organization,” prompting him to employ a historic wartime law to facilitate the deportation of noncitizens to a well-known prison in El Salvador.
This criminal organization traces its origins back to a large prison in northern Venezuela. According to reports from the Associated Press, this prison was notorious for its resort-like conditions, featuring amenities, parties, and concerts. However, this changed when the Venezuelan government successfully reasserted control over the facility last year.
What is Tren de Aragua?
Tren de Aragua has been on the radar of U.S. authorities for years. It was classified a “Transnational Criminal Organization” by the Biden administration in 2024 and has been mentioned repeatedly by the second Trump administration as a justification for its immigration crackdown. President Donald Trump also designated the group as a “foreign terrorist organization” while invoking an 18th-century wartime law to deport noncitizens to a notorious El Salvador prison.
Tren de Aragua began in a sprawling prison in northern Venezuela, according to previous reporting from the Associated Press. The prison functioned more like a resort with numerous amenities, parties, and concerts until last year, when the Venezuelan government regained control.
The gang was allegedly started in 2013 by Héctor Guerrero, who coordinated with other inmates and prison guards inside the prison to establish the syndicate. The gang would go on to amass a small fortune by charging weekly fees to inmates and from crimes committed around the prison.
A decade later, Tren de Aragua had about 4,000 members operating in 11 of Venezuela’s 23 states, the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence told the Associated Press. Gang members largely scattered to other countries like Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Chile after the government regained control of the prison. Since then, areas with large populations of Venezuelan migrants have accused the gang of being behind violent crimes.
Guerrero, who remains at large, was charged in a New York federal court with racketeering conspiracy and terrorism-related charges in December. The U.S. Department of State is offering up to $5 million for his arrest.
