Meanwhile, a declassified US intelligence community memorandum concluded that, contrary to Trump Administration claims, the Tren de Aragua drug gang is not acting under the direction of the Venezuelan government and is not significantly responsible for the flow of Venezuelan migrants to the US. The U.S. intelligence community, which includes the CIA, the FBI, and the National Security Agency, "bases this judgment on Venezuelan law enforcement actions demonstrating the regime treats TDA as a threat," the memo says, describing "an uneasy mix of cooperation and confrontation" rather than the "top-down directives" that characterize "the regime's ties to other armed groups." This revelation undercuts Administration claims that TdA's actions are at the behest of the Venezuelan government, and therefore undermines the argument those activities are undertaken by a "foreign nation or government," which is one of the requirements for using the AEA to detain and deport immigrants.
Author: Ilya Somin
Published at: 2025-05-06 21:58:17
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