Tren de Aragua

Tren de Aragua (English: ‘Train to Aragua’) is a transnational criminal organisation based in Venezuela. It is believed to have more than 5,000 members.

Tren de Aragua is led by Hector Rustрhenford Guerrero Flores; he was imprisoned in the Tocoron prison, which functioned as the organisation’s de facto headquarters.

Since then, the gang has expanded its activities throughout Latin America and the United States due to the Venezuelan refugee crisis, with the gang’s growth accompanied by the migration of Venezuelans to host countries.

Due to the severity of its crimes, combating the gang has become a priority for many of the countries where Tren de Aragua has infiltrated. Although the Tocoron prison was captured by Venezuelan security forces in 2023, the leaders escaped and the gang’s activities continue to this day. The gang has a presence in the United States and Colombia and is concentrated mainly in Venezuela, Peru and Chile.

Its members are predominantly Venezuelans.

Tren de Aragua is also the first Venezuelan criminal organisation to go international, with a presence in Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Panama, Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States. It plays a particularly dominant role in human trafficking and smuggling in Latin America.

The organisation is involved in various criminal activities such as arms trafficking, bribery, drug trafficking, illegal mining, kidnapping for ransom and money laundering.

The gang has close ties to the Brazilian gang Primeiro Comando da Capital.

Tren de Aragua began appearing across the United States during the administration of President Joe Biden, when there was a surge in migrants crossing the Mexican-American border, especially from Venezuela.

In January 2024, the FBI confirmed reports that the gang was operating in the United States.

On 11 July 2024, the US Treasury Department and the White House announced sanctions against the gang and designated it a ‘transnational criminal organisation’. The State Department also offered a $12 million reward for information leading to the arrest of the organisation’s leaders.

In 2024, U.S. officials at the U.S.-Mexico border introduced enhanced interviews with single Venezuelan male migrants to screen them for Tren de Aragua members.

Tren de Aragua members have been linked to crimes across the United States, including murders.

Tren de Aragua first appeared in Chicago and its suburbs in October 2023.

In New York City, the gang has been linked to shootings, retail shoplifting, street robberies, forced prostitution, extortion and drug trafficking.

The gang members often live or have lived in city shelters for migrants. The New York Times reported that Tren de Aragua is believed to recruit new members from migrant shelters.

FBI agents in El Paso, Texas, reported that 41 suspected Tren de Aragua members were arrested in 2023.

In 2024, the Salt Lake City area experienced a spike in Tren de Aragua-related crimes, including a shooting in September 2024 in a Salt Lake City suburb.

As of the beginning of 2025, police reports and official statements by US law enforcement agencies confirm the presence of Tren de Aragua in 22 US states.

These states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Tren de Aragua activity has also been reported in the District of Columbia.

Tren de Aragua has been known for violence, murder, kidnapping, extortion, bribery, human and drug trafficking, and has been linked to more than 100 law enforcement investigations across the country. The US Department of Homeland Security is currently seeking 600 suspected Tren de Aragua members and ‘persons of interest’ who are illegally present in the US.

In the western United States, Tren de Aragua members were arrested in Arizona, California, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming.

In New Mexico, federal agents arrested fugitives wanted for capital murder and kidnapping in Texas.

In the Midwest, Tren de Aragua members have been arrested for violent crimes in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Wisconsin, and law enforcement in Ohio is involved in a multi-state ATM theft investigation. This year, Tren de Aragua members were arrested for the first time in North and South Dakota and Missouri, prompting state and federal lawmakers to demand answers and introduce legislation.

In the Gulf States, Tren de Aragua members were arrested in Texas and Louisiana.

In Louisiana, they are linked to a multi-state sex trafficking operation involving the smuggling of women into the United States, holding them in safe houses in Louisiana, Florida, New Jersey, Texas and Virginia, and forcing them into prostitution.

Tren de Aragua has been designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the Governor of Texas, and state and local law enforcement agencies are actively working to expose and dismantle them through multiple operations.

Tren de Aragua ‘s crimes in Texas are linked to an investigation into a multi-state robbery, sex trafficking network and other violent crimes.

In the Southeast, Tren de Aragua members were arrested in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia on multiple felony charges.

In North Carolina, law enforcement arrested Lieutenant Tren de Aragua, a fugitive wanted by Interpol on terrorism-related charges.

In Tennessee, members of Tren de Aragua were arrested in a multi-state sex trafficking network.

In the Northeast, Tren de Aragua members were arrested in New Jersey and New York for a number of violent crimes, including a recent murder in Connecticut. The arrests were made for numerous criminal offences, including escaping from custody, and are wanted in their home countries.

Finally, it is extremely relevant and symbolic that in January 2025, US President Trump ordered the designation of Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organisation under a directive aimed at gangs and cartels.

As a result, in early February 2025, the United States sent the first group of migrants to Guantanamo Bay after President Donald Trump announced plans to expand the detention facilities at the base. In a brief statement, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that the detainees were members of the Tren de Aragua. The ten detainees were taken from the Fort Bliss military base near the Texas border to the US Navy base in Cuba.