Tren de Aragua

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Tren de Aragua (Spanish pronunciation: [tɾen de aˈɾaɣwa]; English: Aragua Train) is a transnational organized crime syndicate from Venezuela. Tren de Aragua was led by Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias "Niño Guerrero", until his death in June 2026. He was incarcerated at Tocorón prison (also known as Aragua Penitentiary Center) from 2013 to 2023, which functioned at the time as the organization's de facto headquarters. Though Tocorón prison was taken over by Venezuelan security forces during a raid in 2023, the leadership escaped. Tren de Aragua was founded by Héctor Guerrero Flores, Yohan José Romero and Larry Álvarez Núñez in 2014. The gang expanded throughout Latin America and the United States during the Venezuelan refugee crisis, taking advantage of the refugee wave by acting as civilians. On 20 January 2025, US president Donald Trump signed an executive order initiating the process of designating various drug cartels and transnational gangs, including Tren de Aragua, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. The designation took effect on 20 February 2025. In March 2025, the Trump administration ordered the deportation of alleged Tren de Aragua members, citing the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. The order was temporarily halted pending further legal challenges. Experts have disputed the designation as a terrorist organization, describing it as motivated by money and not political ideology. In the United States, President Trump has referenced Tren de Aragua in discussions of immigration policy, comparing it to organizations such as Al-Qaeda and Islamic State, citing its reported presence when invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a wartime law historically applied in contexts of armed conflict. This legislation affected deportation procedures for Venezuelan nationals, with the administration arguing they posed a terrorist threat. U.S. intelligence reports have indicated that the group operates independently of Venezuelan state control and lacks a coordinated structure within the country. Some analysts have compared current patterns to the 1980 Mariel boatlift, when the Cuban regime allowed mass departure of citizens, including a significant number of common prisoners and others deemed undesirable. Reports indicate that members of Tren de Aragua have embedded themselves within Venezuelan refugee groups in Colombia, Peru, and Chile, which has established a greater presence of the group throughout South America. Combating the gang has become a priority for many nations where Tren de Aragua operates. The 2023 raid operation on the Aragua Penitentiary Center, considered the group's headquarters at the time, occurred following reports of crimes committed by the group in neighboring nations.

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