By Dr. Jarrod Sadulski
Faculty Member, Criminal Justice
and Alicia Hopper
Researcher, Sadulski Enterprises, LLC
The Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (“Aragua Train”) is a growing threat to the United States. While this gang is classified as a transnational criminal organization, it operates as a terrorist group. Its members result to violence, kidnapping and murder to exert their influence.
Why Is Tren de Aragua So Dangerous?
According to News Nation, Tren de Aragua has been referred to as “MS-13 on steroids,” due to the group’s organization and violent acts. News Nation also says that Tren de Aragua leaders have given permission for its members to open fire on law enforcement in the U.S.
Tren de Aragua members with weapons took over in an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, forcing its landlord to sell the property, according to the New York Post. Tren de Aragua has taken over more than one apartment complex in Aurora, and authorities are investigating Tren de Aragua in more than 100 criminal cases in at least five states.
Tren de Aragua are involved in human trafficking, kidnapping, drug trafficking, murder and organized retail crime. The gang has had a presence in several countries in South America and has connections to the Maduro regime in Venezuela.
Often, Tren de Aragua members evade detection. When they cross the border into the U.S., there is no way for Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) to know that they are part of this violent gang.
Gang members then seek refuge in Venezuelan communities within U.S. cities. They use fear and violent acts to prevent others from reporting their presence, and they blend in with the millions of Venezuelan migrants who have come into the U.S. Many people in the U.S.-Venezuelan communities do not report gang members’ criminal activity due to fears of reprisals and immigration issues.
An Interview with an Tren de Aragua Expert
We interviewed Ammon Blair from the Texas Public Policy Foundation, who is an expert on Tren de Aragua. He explained that Tren de Aragua’s members have exploited the chaos at our southern border and the current administration’s “Lawful Pathways” programs to infiltrate the U.S..
The challenge for CBP and U.S. law enforcement agencies is compounded by the difficulty in obtaining criminal histories from illegal aliens from Venezuela. The only way to obtain these criminal histories is from Interpol records or from records relating to prior criminal activity in the United States.
One method of detecting gang members is recognizing specific tattoos used by the Tren de Aragua gang. Mr. Blair explained that some common tattoos include references to Michael Jordan, such as his image or the number 23. This number is in reference to the “23 de Enero” neighborhood in Venezuela, which was the birthplace of a revolutionary group in the 1980s.
Mr. Blair added that gang members also use train-themed tattoos (a reference to the gang’s name), which is believed to be linked to a labor union that worked on a railway project in Aragua, Venezuela. However, members often hide their tattoos or don’t have tattoos until after entering the U.S. to avoid detection by CBP.
Reports indicate that Tren de Aragua operates under the influence of the Venezuelan regime. Their activities are coordinated from Venezuela’s military intelligence services, Cartel of the Suns, and Cuban intelligence.
An Interview with a Former Sinaloa Cartel Affiliate
We also interviewed a former Sinaloa Cartel affiliate and Southern California gang member, who gave us much insight on Tren de Aragua. Tren de Aragua is known to work with the Sinaloa Cartel and other transnational criminal organizations in drug trafficking and human trafficking.
The former cartel affiliate explained that “Tren de Aragua members are terrorists. They are assassins for hire, and they wish to establish themselves in prisons in the U.S. They are greenlighted by all southern California gangs to prevent their rapid expansion in criminal activity and in the prisons.”
“Greenlighted” refers to gang leaders issuing a mandate to murder Tren de Aragua members. Increased violence against Tren de Aragua by these gangs is to be expected.
Some gangs and cartels such as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel have rules and mandates that its members follow. There is order within their operations from their leadership.
For example, certain gangs and cartels are told by their leaders not to harm women and children. Others such as Tren de Aragua does not appear to have compliance or rules within their ranks, which makes them more dangerous. Members of gangs such as Tren de Aragua act without waiting for leadership approval, which can spark violence toward anyone in their way.
There Are Efforts Underway to Combat the Expansion of Tren de Aragua
There is an effort to downplay the expansion of Tren de Aragua in the United States. But at the same time, the U.S. government is working to combat Tren de Aragua’s activities.
For example, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) created a Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit with Peru last September to counter Tren de Aragua. In addition, the U.S. government is working to label Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization; that would provide Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and other federal law enforcement agencies with an increased ability to combat this gang’s criminal operations.
About the Authors
Dr. Jarrod Sadulski is an associate professor in the School of Security and Global Studies and has over two decades in the field of criminal justice. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Thomas Edison State College, a master’s degree in criminal justice from American Military University, and a Ph.D. in criminal justice from Northcentral University.
His expertise includes training on countering human trafficking, maritime security, mitigating organized crime, and narcotics trafficking trends in Latin America. He has also testified to both the U.S. Congress and U.S. Senate on human trafficking and child exploitation. He has been recognized by the U.S. Senate as an expert in human trafficking.
Jarrod frequently conducts in-country research and consultant work in Central and South America on human trafficking and current trends in narcotics trafficking. Also, he has a background in business development. For more information on Jarrod and links to his social media and website or to contact him, check out https://linktr.ee/jarrodsadulski.
Alicia (Ali) Hopper holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire and a paralegal certificate in intellectual property law. Ali is dedicated to combating human trafficking through rigorous research and data collection. She gathers information from diverse sources and uses thematic analysis to uncover emerging and critical trends in human trafficking.
Ali is a member of a distinguished research team that has provided testimony and consulting to both the U.S. Senate and Congress. She has conducted research with Jarrod on the Southwest Border on human trafficking and has witnessed firsthand the impacts of trafficking and smuggling.
Traveling across the country, Ali shares her insights and findings on human trafficking, presenting on the most urgent issues in the field. She collects data from incarcerated former sex traffickers both in the U.S. and internationally and engages directly with trafficking victims to deepen her understanding of the problem and develop effective mitigation strategies.
With her expertise, Ali is a leading voice in the fight against human trafficking, bringing crucial information and perspectives to policymakers and the public. For more information on Ali and links to her social media and website, check out https://linktr.ee/alihopper.
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