The FBI has found that some Venezuelan government officials are “likely facilitating” the migration of members of the violent Tren de Aragua gang into the United States to destabilize public safety, according to an unclassified portion of a classified intelligence assessment shared with Fox News Digital.
The findings paint a disturbing picture of the Maduro regime’s willingness to use violent criminals as proxy forces to destabilize not only the United States, but also Chile, Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia.
Officials warned that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is deliberately undermining the sovereignty of neighboring nations to advance his regime’s goals — and is now setting sights on U.S. soil.
The FBI warns that within the next six to 18 months, Tren de Aragua members in the United States could be leveraged to intimidate, abduct, or even assassinate members of the Venezuelan diaspora who have publicly criticized Maduro.
“This should shock Americans but not the law enforcement community,” a senior administration official told Fox News Digital, adding that multiple agencies have confirmed similar assessments.
President Trump had previously designated Tren de Aragua and several other migrant gangs as foreign terrorist organizations, recognizing the threat early in his first term. Trump officials say the current revelations validate their aggressive stance.
“Maduro is a Marxist dictator who hijacked Venezuela, caused total economic collapse, and unleashed gangs like Tren de Aragua,” a senior official said. “Now he wants to export that violence into American communities.”
According to intelligence shared with Fox News Digital, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) also confirmed that Tren de Aragua has thrived with the Venezuelan government’s protection, comparing Maduro’s regime to failed states like Syria and Libya that harbor terrorists.
While some media outlets recently cited a separate classified report claiming there was no coordination between Maduro and Tren de Aragua, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard blasted the leak as a politically motivated attack meant to undermine Trump.
Gabbard warned, “The weaponization of intelligence to undermine the President’s agenda is an assault on democracy,” and vowed that those responsible for leaking and twisting classified information would be held accountable.
The Trump administration’s efforts to counter the threat were also on display this week. Federal authorities filed racketeering charges — known as RICO charges — against 27 alleged Tren de Aragua members and associates in New York. The charges, part of “Operation Take Back America,” include human smuggling, sex trafficking, and murder.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the arrests, saying the indictments would “devastate TdA’s infrastructure” across America.
“Tren de Aragua is not just a street gang,” Bondi said. “It is a highly structured terrorist organization that has destroyed American families, trafficked humans, and flooded our neighborhoods with deadly drugs.”
As of now, 21 of the 27 individuals are already in federal or state custody, delivering a significant blow to Maduro’s criminal allies operating inside the U.S.
Trump officials vowed to continue using every legal tool available to keep these violent actors out of the country, saying Americans “voted overwhelmingly to make America safe again — and that is exactly what we will do.”