Tren de Aragua: America’s new bogeyman

Trump’s Return to Power: The Targeting of Tren de Aragua and the Politics of Fear

On his first day back in office as President of the United States, Donald Trump wasted no time in setting the tone for his administration by signing an executive order designating the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as a “foreign terrorist organisation.” This move was part of a broader effort to label several groups, including Mexican drug cartels and the Salvadoran gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), as threats to global stability. Trump’s decree painted these groups as perpetrators of “extraordinarily violent, vicious, and terroristic” campaigns, both within the U.S. and internationally. However, this rhetoric conveniently ignores the long and bloody history of U.S. intervention in Latin America, which has included backing dictatorships, death squads, and military campaigns that have caused immense suffering across the region.

The Rise of Tren de Aragua as the New Bogeyman

While MS-13 has long been a favorite target of Trump’s, Tren de Aragua has emerged as the latest addition to his list of enemies. The gang, which originated in a Venezuelan prison, has allegedly spread its influence across South America and even into the U.S., where it is now claimed to be waging a “campaign of violence and terror.” This narrative gained momentum under the Biden administration, which designated Tren de Aragua as a “transnational criminal organisation” in July 2024, following intense lobbying from figures like then-Senator Marco Rubio, now Trump’s Secretary of State. Rubio and others warned of an “invading criminal army” poised to unleash unprecedented terror, a claim that has since become a central talking point for Trump.

Media Hysteria and the Lack of Evidence

The U.S. media has eagerly amplified these claims, painting Tren de Aragua as a ruthless and bloodthirsty gang that has supposedly taken over entire American cities. However, when it comes to concrete evidence of this alleged terror campaign, there is surprisingly little to go around. For instance, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) has stated that the gang’s activities in the city are mostly limited to petty crimes like phone thefts and store robberies. This disparity between the rhetoric and reality suggests that the threat posed by Tren de Aragua may be vastly exaggerated for political purposes. The media’s role in sensationalising these claims has further contributed to a climate of fear and misinformation.

Criminalising Migrants and Justifying Deportations

One of the most concerning aspects of this campaign is its impact on vulnerable migrant populations. In June 2023, a 19-year-old Venezuelan migrant living in a shelter was accused of shooting two NYPD officers. The incident was quickly seized upon by media outlets to portray migrant shelters as hotbeds of gang activity, reinforcing the idea that refugees are a threat to public safety. This narrative has been used to justify Trump’s aggressive deportation policies, with suspected Tren de Aragua members being sent to Guantanamo Bay, the infamous U.S. detention center in Cuba. However, a recent investigation by The Washington Post revealed that some of those detained may have been targeted simply because of their place of birth or tattoos, even though the gang does not actually use tattoos to signify membership.

Outsourcing the "War on Terror" to El Salvador

The targeting of Tren de Aragua is not just a domestic issue; it also has international implications. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has offered to house U.S. prisoners, including alleged Tren de Aragua members, in his country’s notorious mega-prison, the Centre for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT), in exchange for payment. Bukele’s own policies have been widely criticised for their human rights abuses, including mass incarceration of individuals with no criminal ties. His government claims to have curbed gang violence, but the origins of these gangs can be traced back to U.S. policies during El Salvador’s civil war, when thousands of Salvadorans fled to the U.S. only to be deported back after forming gangs for self-protection.

The Bigger Picture: U.S. Hypocrisy and the Manufactured Threat

Critics argue that the focus on Tren de Aragua serves as a distraction from more pressing issues, such as the ongoing epidemic of school shootings in the U.S. or the devastating impact of U.S.-led sanctions on countries like Venezuela, which have caused over 100,000 deaths since 2020. These sanctions have also driven migration, yet the U.S. continues to frame migrants as a threat rather than acknowledging the role its policies play in creating the conditions for displacement. The media’s focus on vague identifiers like tattoos or clothing further perpetuates profiling and erodes civil liberties. As the U.S. continues to crackdown on asylum seekers and escalate its rhetoric, the real question is whether the greatest threat to stability in the Western Hemisphere comes not from groups like Tren de Aragua, but from the U.S. government itself.