Hundreds of Venezuelan citizens in the United States have been deported and imprisoned in El Salvador under the dual claim that they are members of the Tren de Aragua and that the group is led by Nicolás Maduro. However, neither accusation has been proven. Photo: Press Secretariat of the Presidency of El Salvador.
Guacamaya, April 18, 2025. The U.S. National Intelligence Council has released a second report unanimously denying that the Tren de Aragua is directed by Nicolás Maduro and his government.
The report directly contradicts claims made by several American and Venezuelan politicians, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and opposition leader María Corina Machado.
The Trump administration also invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, which allows arrests based solely on a person’s country of origin, arguing that the Tren de Aragua is part of an invasion directed by the Venezuelan government. During World War II, this law facilitated the imprisonment of 110,000 Japanese-American citizens.
This is the second time U.S. intelligence has made this assertion. The Washington Post states that this is the most comprehensive assessment to date. The first report was published by The New York Times in March.
This second report acknowledged that low-level contacts exist between Tren de Aragua members and Venezuelan government officials. However, it states that the criminal group is neither controlled nor directed by Maduro.
When The Washington Post asked the Office of the Director of National Intelligence about the report, it responded that the work was carried out by “deep state actors.” This term is used by allies of Donald Trump to describe officials who act against his interests.
