The Global Story - How a Venezuelan prison gang became the face of Trump’s immigration crackdown
Download How a Venezuelan prison gang became the face of Trump’s immigration crackdown
The Trump administration has centred on Tren de Aragua – a Venezuelan prison gang – as a justification for cracking down on Venezuelan immigrants, and for several attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea.
When President Trump designated the gang a Foreign Terror Organisation, and invoked a 1798 law that allows presidents to swiftly deport citizens of enemy countries, civil rights groups accused his government of using these measures as a way to deport Venezuelans without due process. Trump has argued he’s acting to "eliminate the presence of all foreign gangs and criminal networks bringing devastating crime to US soil".
We speak to Jonathan Blitzer, staff writer at the New Yorker, who has been reporting on how Tren de Aragua became a major focus of Trump’s domestic and foreign policy.
Producers: Viv Jones and Aron Keller
Executive producer: James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
Image: An alleged member of the Tren de Aragua in detention. Reuters.
Published on Thursday, 30th October 2025.
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