Rubio Rejects Intel Community's Venezuelan Gang Assessment

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has publicly rejected the intelligence community's assessment that the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua is not controlled by Nicolás Maduro's government, asserting that the gang acts as a proxy force for the regime. Rubio cited FBI agreement and evidence, including the gang’s involvement in the assassination of Venezuelan opposition member Ronald Ojeda in Chile, to support his claim that the Maduro administration uses Tren de Aragua to project power and destabilize opposition, even beyond Venezuela’s borders. This dispute centers on the Trump administration's invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to rapidly deport suspected gang members, a move justified by the claim that the gang is directed by the Venezuelan government. Contrarily, the National Intelligence Council's memo concluded that while Venezuela provides a permissive environment for the gang, it likely does not cooperate with or direct Tren de Aragua's operations in the United States. The disagreement has led to significant controversy, including the firing of two National Intelligence Council officials responsible for the critical report and scrutiny over the deportations, many of whom had no criminal record. Rubio maintains that the intelligence community is mistaken, emphasizing growing evidence of the gang’s ties to Maduro and framing Tren de Aragua as a tool of the Venezuelan regime.