U.S. Takes Aim at Venezuela's Deadly Tren de Aragua Gang

The U.S. Justice Department has charged more than 27 members of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang with various crimes under the RICO Act. These charges are part of a broader initiative to dismantle foreign criminal organizations in the U.S. President Trump's administration has actively targeted such gangs for prosecution and deportation.

The U.S. Justice Department has announced charges against more than two dozen individuals linked to Venezuela's notorious Tren de Aragua gang. These charges, made under the federal RICO Act, mark a significant move by the U.S. government to target and dismantle foreign criminal organizations operating within its borders.

This action follows President Donald Trump's administration's broader agenda to prosecute and deport alleged members of foreign gangs, including the designation of Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization. The recent use of the Alien Enemies Act to expedite deportations underlines the administration's hardline stance on immigration and organized crime.

With 21 defendants already in federal custody, the Justice Department alleges significant involvement by Tren de Aragua and a splinter faction known as Anti-Tren in various criminal activities, including racketeering, sex and drug trafficking, robbery, and firearms offenses. Attorney General Pam Bondi emphasized the government's commitment to eradicating these criminal networks from U.S. soil.

(With inputs from agencies.)