What is Tren de Aragua? The criminal organization's origins, activities and reach within the U.S.

On Point | Podcast

WBUR

Talk Show, Daily News, News, Npr, On Point, Daily

4.2 • 3.5K Ratings

🗓️ 13 May 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Biden administration first labeled Venezuelan gang as a multi-national criminal organization. President Trump has now put Tren de Aragua at the center of the debate over immigration and deportation. But will his methods neutralize the threat Tren de Aragua poses to the U.S.?

Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for this podcast comes from Is Business Broken, a podcast from B.U.
0:04.9	Questrum School of Business. What is short-termism? Is it a buzzword or something that really impacts businesses in the economy?
0:13.2	Stick around until the end of this podcast for a preview of a recent episode.
0:19.2	WBUR Podcasts, Boston.
0:25.6	This is on point.
0:30.6	I'm Megacharabardi.
0:32.6	The Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua
0:35.0	is known for its vicious crimes
0:36.9	and rapid spread throughout Latin America.
0:39.8	They create chaos in Chile.
0:41.6	They create chaos in Peru.
0:43.5	And they want to create also chaos in countries in order to shape the condo of the borders.
0:51.1	And also to create the sensational instability, the criminality of this behavior in Venezuela.
1:00.2	That was an unnamed former Venezuelan military officer discussing the threat of Trennairagua on Fox News in 2024.
1:09.6	The gang was created inside Venezuela's Stokoron Prison in 2014.
1:15.6	It essentially controlled the prison, ordering kidnappings, robberies, and murders
1:19.9	outside of the prison walls.
1:22.3	By 2017, the group's activities spread outside Venezuela's borders.
1:28.1	The country's crumbling political institutions and economy led to some 8 million Venezuelans
1:32.8	leaving the country, and Trenneragua recruited from that diaspora.
1:37.9	And by 2023, the gang had been reported in Texas and Chicago.
1:43.4	So in July of 2024, the Biden administration took a significant step.
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