The anarchy in the South American country has provided fertile ground for vicious gangs to thrive, and one particularly dangerous one has worked its way into the U.S. The Treasury Department says Tren de Aragua – described as "MS-13 on steroids" – has been involved in human trafficking, illegal mining, kidnapping, extortion, and trafficking illicit drugs like cocaine.
Turning Point USA's Jorge Andres Galicia, a Christian lawyer and one of four million Venezuelans who fled the country following its economic, social, and political collapse, recently told Fox News the gang is working with the Venezuelan government amid the chaos in the White House and the federal government.
"I do believe that they have connection with the Maduro regime," he relays. "I am convinced that these people are sent here on purpose to destabilize not only the U.S., but the whole region. Maduro sadly knows that Biden is an extremely weak president, and he can start asking political favors to the U.S. authorities."
Galicia says they trying to blackmail the Biden administration and take advantage of a nonexistent border policy with threats like "if you don't lift this sanction, if you don't release this prisoner of mine, if you don't do this for me, I'm gonna keep sending these people, and I won't be taking them back."
The U.S., he noted, is already getting pushback from the Maduro regime.
"Whenever the U.S. authorities try to deport some of these people, the Venezuelan regime doesn't allow them to do that," the attorney explained.
In 2023, roughly 335,000 Venezuelans immigrated to the U.S. illegally. Only 834 of those were deported. Galicia thinks a better president would do a better job of distinguishing between genuine asylum seekers and violent criminals – and keeping the latter out of the country.
