US Intelligence Disputes Trump on Tren de Aragua, Alien Enemies Act Use; FBI Dissents, Deportees Sent to El Salvador
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A new classified assessment from the U.S. National Intelligence Council, drawing on input from all 18 U.S. intelligence agencies except the FBI, has found no evidence of coordination between the Venezuelan government and the Tren de Aragua gang. The assessment, released in April 2025, contradicts claims by President Donald Trump and his administration that the gang is acting under the direction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to orchestrate an 'invasion' of the United States.
The Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a law used just three times in U.S. history, to justify the mass deportation of Venezuelan migrants accused of gang affiliation. Trump declared in a March proclamation that Tren de Aragua is closely aligned with and has infiltrated the Maduro regime, including its military and law enforcement apparatus. Attorney General Pam Bondi reiterated this claim in a Fox News interview, calling the gang 'a foreign arm of the Venezuelan government.'
The intelligence assessment states that while there may be minimal contact between some gang members and low-level Venezuelan officials, there is no evidence of coordination or directive involvement by Maduro or senior government officials. Of the 18 agencies, only the FBI disagreed with the findings. The assessment also notes that Tren de Aragua originated in a Venezuelan prison and has been designated a terrorist group by the Trump administration.
The findings come as the Supreme Court recently ruled that the Trump administration can use the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan migrants, but that migrants must be granted court hearings before removal. Last month, more than 130 Venezuelan men accused of being gang members were deported to El Salvador, where they are being held in a high-security prison. Attorneys for many of the deportees have stated there is no evidence linking them to the gang. The American Civil Liberties Union has filed legal challenges to the use of the Alien Enemies Act against a criminal gang rather than a recognized state.
The assessment contradicts statements Trump administration officials have made to justify their invocation of the Alien Enemies Act and deport Venezuelan migrants. https://t.co/kdcF98EOU4
