US Intelligence Report Challenges Trump's Claims on Venezuelan Gangs

U.S. intelligence agencies have countered the justification put forth by the Trump administration for using an 18th-century war statute to swiftly expel Venezuelan males to a well-known penitentiary in El Salvador, as revealed in a recently disclosed memorandum.

Last month, intelligence agencies determined that the administration of Venezuela's President Nicholas Maduro does not oversee the operations of Tren de Aragua, as reported. memorandum issued internally by an organization advocating for press freedom published on Monday by The New York Times.

The News Pulseobtained a copy of the memorandum from the Freedom of the Press Foundation.

The conclusions drawn by these agencies challenge President Donald Trump's application of the Alien Enemies Act to claim that the U.S. is facing an invasion from a hostile foreign country, thus allowing for swift deportation of alleged gang members without legal oversight.

The "sense of the community" memorandum from the National Intelligence Council concluded that Tren de Aragua probably benefits from the pervasive disorder under Maduro's rule but does not have any direct connections with the administration.

The study concluded that although Venezuela’s lenient conditions allow TDA to function, the Maduro administration likely doesn’t have a strategy for collaborating with TDA and isn’t guiding their activities within the U.S.

The intelligence agencies similarly disputed Trump’s portrayal of Tren de Aragua as an overarching danger to national security, or even as a significant criminal group. According to the memorandum dated April 7, which was acquired by the press organization via the Freedom of Information Act, "Given the limited scale of TDA’s units, their emphasis on petty crimes, and their fragmented organizational setup, it is improbable that TDA orchestrates substantial amounts of human trafficking or illegal immigration."

The organization stated that the memo validated previous reports by The New York Times and The Washington Post regarding Tren de Aragua and its connection to the Venezuelan government, thereby undermining the administration’s claim that this information was highly confidential and that disclosing it justified criminal probes.

Lauren Harper, who holds the position of the Daniel Ellsberg Chair on Government Secrecy at the organization, stated, "The original reports published by The Washington Post and The New York Times regarding the leaked document unequivocally indicated that making this record available to the public was essential." She further noted, "It appears that the ODNI FOIA office concurred with this view and correctly chose to formally disclose the memo within just two weeks."

Trump In March, they activated the legislation from 1798. To dispatch roughly 250 men to a maximum-security prison located in El Salvador. Legal representatives and News outlets have subsequently established That at least some of those who were deported had lawfully entered the U.S., had no prior criminal records, or had nothing to do with gangs, even though the administration stated otherwise.

Among the individuals was also a man from El Salvador named Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was residing in Maryland. He was deported even though a judge had ordered him to remain in the U.S., which an attorney for the administration described as an error.

The application of the AlienEnemiesAct by Trump has sparked intense debate among activists and has been repeatedly limited by some of the nation's premier jurists—including conservative ones.

The Supreme Court in April barred the White House from deporting additional individuals under the AlienEnemiesAct. The court previously ruled that the Venezuelans labeled as "alien enemies" as determined by the White House should have the ability to submit separate appeals contesting Their deportations, a concept Trump has openly disputed.

The White House and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not promptly reply to The News Pulse’s request for commentary.

Last week, a judge appointed during the Trump administration ruled that Trump's utilization of the AEA for rapid deportations was unlawful. a decision stating that it applies exclusively When the nation encounters an armed and organized assault, this presents yet another obstacle for the administration and its immigration enforcement policies.