“The intelligence community are “wrong,” Rubio told “Face the Nation’s” Margaret Brennan.

“Actually, the FBI concurs with me on this matter. The FBI acknowledges that not only has the Venezuelan regime facilitated the spread of Tren de Aragua, but there is growing evidence that a member of this gang was hired to assassinate an opposition figure, it seems, in Chile several months back.”

Watch:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has expressed his disagreement with a recent National Intelligence Council report that opposes President Trump’s claims about Tren de Aragua being directed by the Venezuelan government. In a conversation with @margbrennan, he stated, “They’re wrong.”… pic.twitter.com/fH8XokG1GP

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) May 18, 2025

The assertion that the Maduro administration has control over Tren de Aragua is at the heart of a dispute regarding the Trump administration’s authority to deport suspected gang members under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.

“I agree 100% with the FBI’s finding,” Rubio says, which assesses some coordination between TdA members and Venezuelan government officials.

Rubio added that “there’s no doubt in our mind, and in my mind, and in the FBI’s assessment that this is a group that the regime in Venezuela uses, not just to try to destabilize the United States, but to project power, like they did by murdering a member of the opposition in Chile.”