A recent incident involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents has thrust an international crime syndicate, known as Tren de Aragua, back into the spotlight. On Thursday, two individuals were shot by ICE agents in Portland, sparking discussions about their alleged connections to this notorious gang.
According to officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, both individuals are suspected members of the Tren de Aragua gang and reportedly lack legal citizenship in the United States. However, authorities have yet to provide detailed evidence supporting their claims of the duo’s affiliation with the criminal organization.
The Tren de Aragua gang has long been a concern for U.S. authorities. In 2024, the Biden administration officially classified it as a “Transnational Criminal Organization.” The group has also been cited several times by the second Trump administration, which used its existence as part of the rationale for its stringent immigration policies. President Donald Trump notably labeled the gang as a “foreign terrorist organization” and employed an 18th-century wartime statute to facilitate the deportation of noncitizens to a notorious prison in El Salvador.
This criminal syndicate originated in a large Venezuelan prison located in the Aragua state, as documented by the Associated Press. Initially, the prison operated more like a luxurious resort, complete with various amenities and entertainment options, until the Venezuelan government restored control last year.
What is Tren de Aragua?
Tren de Aragua’s inception dates back to 2013, under the leadership of Héctor Guerrero. Guerrero, in collaboration with fellow inmates and certain prison guards, orchestrated the formation of the gang within the prison walls. The syndicate quickly gained wealth by collecting weekly fees from inmates and engaging in criminal activities beyond the confines of the prison.
Tren de Aragua began in a sprawling prison in northern Venezuela, according to previous reporting from the Associated Press. The prison functioned more like a resort with numerous amenities, parties, and concerts until last year, when the Venezuelan government regained control.
The gang was allegedly started in 2013 by Héctor Guerrero, who coordinated with other inmates and prison guards inside the prison to establish the syndicate. The gang would go on to amass a small fortune by charging weekly fees to inmates and from crimes committed around the prison.
A decade later, Tren de Aragua had about 4,000 members operating in 11 of Venezuela’s 23 states, the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence told the Associated Press. Gang members largely scattered to other countries like Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Chile after the government regained control of the prison. Since then, areas with large populations of Venezuelan migrants have accused the gang of being behind violent crimes.
Guerrero, who remains at large, was charged in a New York federal court with racketeering conspiracy and terrorism-related charges in December. The U.S. Department of State is offering up to $5 million for his arrest.
