A newly surfaced set of leaked documents reveals that a violent criminal organization from Venezuela, Tren de Aragua (TdA), may be operating in the United States with the backing of the Venezuelan regime led by Nicolás Maduro.
Television host and independent journalist Emerald Robinson published the documents on her Substack platform, outlining evidence that connects Tren de Aragua not only to drug trafficking and gang violence, but also to broader geopolitical goals involving the destabilization of democratic nations, including the United States.
Immediately after taking office, President Donald Trump designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization through an executive order that described its ties to the Venezuelan government.
The order stated:
“Over the years, Venezuelan national and local authorities have ceded ever-greater control over their territories to transnational criminal organizations, including TdA. The result is a hybrid criminal state that is perpetrating an invasion of and predatory incursion into the United States, and which poses a substantial danger to the United States.”
While Tren de Aragua has long been known as a violent criminal enterprise originating in Venezuela, the newly leaked briefing paints a broader picture.
According to the materials shared by Robinson, the organization operates as a paramilitary arm of Maduro’s socialist regime, working in coordination with military intelligence.
The leaked briefing reportedly provided to Trump administration officials in recent months describes the operational framework used by Tren de Aragua to enter the United States.
According to the documents, members of the group travel through various foreign countries before illegally crossing into the U.S. Once inside, they are dispersed into safe houses located across 20 different American cities.
The purpose of their entry, the documents claim, is to undermine domestic security and assist the Maduro regime in its broader objective of destabilizing Western democracies.
Robinson wrote:
“According to the briefing, the TdA members move from Venezuela through several foreign nations before entering the USA illegally and being spread out in safe houses in 20 different cities. For what reason? TdA members have come to the USA in large numbers to undermine our public safety and support ‘the Maduro regime’s goal of destabilizing democratic nations in the Americas, including the USA.’”
The leaked intelligence further alleges that the gang’s operations are being supported by approximately 300 military intelligence officers, all tied to Venezuela’s regime.
These officers reportedly train TdA operatives in riot tactics, sabotage, espionage, and other forms of urban disruption.
Robinson added:
“How do you know it’s a hostile foreign army? Because TdA terrorists are supported by 300 military intelligence officers who train them to engage in ‘riots, sabotage, disinformation, espionage, social conflict, and armed aggression’ inside the USA.”
The documents also identify a senior figure within Venezuela’s intelligence ranks who is connected to the Cártel de los Soles — one of the largest drug cartels in the world.
This individual reportedly serves as the link between Tren de Aragua, the Maduro regime, and other transnational criminal groups.
Despite the serious implications of these findings, deportation efforts targeting TdA members have drawn criticism from left-wing activists and elected officials.
In particular, attention has turned to the CECOT maximum-security prison in El Salvador, where some TdA agents have been transferred.
Critics have focused on conditions at the facility rather than the criminal backgrounds of those detained.
The leaked documents raise questions about national security and border enforcement policies in place under the previous administration.
With millions of individuals having crossed the border since 2021, including during the early years of Joe Biden’s term, the possibility of embedded foreign operatives has become a renewed topic of concern among intelligence analysts.
Neither the White House nor the Department of Homeland Security has released a formal statement in response to the documents as of Wednesday.
Visit Drew Berquist.com for more stories like this.
