An emerging Venezuelan gang has the potential to be “more violent” than Tren de Aragua and target rural America, according to an expert.
Former members of the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, have reorganized to form a new group known as the “Anti-Tren” gang, as noted by federal authorities. This new gang is reportedly comprised mostly of ex-members of the original Tren de Aragua.
An unsealed federal indictment from April has charged 21 individuals with orchestrating drug and prostitution operations in New York City. The indictment alleges that Anti-Tren gang members maintain their influence and defend their territory through criminal activities, including violent actions against Tren de Aragua members.
The indictment further explains that Anti-Tren ensures its control and dominance through various crimes, such as murder, assault, and threats. These acts of violence and intimidation are often directed at both members and associates of Tren de Aragua.
Salvadoran police officers escort alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua recently deported by the U.S. government to be imprisoned in the Terrorism Confinement Center prison as part of an agreement with the Salvadoran government in Tecoluca, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. (Secretaria de Prensa de la Presidencia/Handout via Reuters)
“They are also doing violence in an environment which they’re taking advantage of people. They’re taking advantage of the homeless, they’re taking advantage of rural America,” Charles said of Anti-Tren.
Charles said gangs like Anti-Tren are targeting rural parts of America because that’s where they can “maximize their gain” with little risk.
“We don’t have the infrastructure in a very rural state to put patrols up through the northern part of the state and, frankly, to even keep drugs from coming in and the gangs from coming here,” Charles said of his state, Maine. “Criminals are bad guys, but they are not stupid. And so what they look for is they look for opportunities to maximize their gain with the least possible risk.”
Members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and MS-13 gang are shown in prison in San Salvador, El Salvador, on March 31, 2025. (El Salvador Press Presidency Office/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Charles said he thinks the group will be eager to get into fights with Tren de Aragua, which is why authorities need to work fast to quash the group.
“I think right now their numbers are relatively modest,” Charles said. “If you look away from it, if you pretend that it’s not important, if you appease it instead of deterring it, then absolutely it will grow. That’s just the nature of crime.”
The Anti-Tren gang has a presence that expands beyond New York City.
In September 2024, a Texas woman was robbed at gunpoint, pistol-whipped and tied up in her Dallas-area home located in the ritzy neighborhood of Bluffview, where the average home value is $880,000, according to Zillow.
The robbery happened around 10 p.m. on Sept. 21, 2024, after the woman had just returned home from dinner.
The men involved in the incident allegedly targeted the woman in her driveway, forced her into her home, then tied her up at gunpoint, according to records obtained by Fox News. The men involved allegedly threatened to cut her fingers off.
Using Google Translate to communicate with the victim, the suspects left the house with $75,000 worth of jewelry, a Ferragamo handbag, a Judith Leiber handbag, a Gucci purse, coins from a box inside the house and the victim’s phone.
Four Venezuelan illegal immigrants have been arrested and charged with robbing a woman at gunpoint in the driveway of her Dallas home. (Dallas County Sheriff’s Office)
Documents obtained by Fox News at the time indicated that Manuel Hernandez-Hernandez, one of the men arrested, said the other men were part of the Anti-Tren gang, something the Dallas Police Department didn’t comment on.
Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
