The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says Venezuelan government officials may be using Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang members, according to a Fox News report.
A “senior” Trump administration official shared with Fox News, “unclassified portions” of an FBI assessment, which found that officials within Venezuelan Dictator Nicolas Maduro’s regime, were using TdA gang members “as proxies for the Maduro regime in an effort to destabilize” countries such as the U.S., Chile, Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia, according to the outlet:
Fox News Digital has learned that the FBI assesses that some Venezuelan government officials are likely using Tren de Aragua members as proxies for the Maduro regime in an effort to destabilize Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and the United States. The official said the FBI assesses that this demonstrates Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s willingness to violate the territorial sovereignty of Venezuela’s neighbors to advance his regime’s policies.
FBI officials have reportedly assessed that within “six to 18 months,” Venezuelan government officials will try to “leverage” TdA gang members in the U.S. to act as “proxy actors to threaten, abduct and kill members of the Venezuelan diaspora” who have been “vocal critics of Maduro,” according to the outlet.
The report comes as President Donald Trump and his administration have faced legal challenges from several judges in response to the deportations of Venezuelan migrants who are suspected of being TdA members under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.
Hellbound and Down 