In a bold legal move, the Trump administration has filed its first RICO racketeering charges against alleged members of the notorious migrant terrorist group Tren de Aragua, marking a critical step in what officials are calling a full-scale crackdown on violent transnational crime.
Operation Take Back America Targets Illegal Crime Networks
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced that the charges are part of “Operation Take Back America,” a sweeping national initiative designed to “repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.”
This high-profile case names 27 alleged current and former members of Tren de Aragua (TdA), charging them with crimes ranging from human smuggling and sex trafficking to murder.
Brutal Crimes at the Center of the Indictment
“Today, we have filed charges against 27 alleged members, former members, and associates of Tren de Aragua, for committing murders and shootings, forcing young women trafficked from Venezuela into commercial sex work, robbing and extorting small businesses, and selling ‘tusi,’ a pink powdery drug that has become their calling card,” stated Matthew Podolsky, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Podolsky emphasized the importance of this legal action, saying the indictments “make clear that this Office will work tirelessly to keep the law-abiding residents of New York City safe, and hold accountable those who bring violence to our streets.”
Two Major Indictments Shake the Gang’s Foundations
The charges, divided into two separate indictments, target six alleged current TdA members and 21 alleged former members linked to a breakaway faction called “Anti-Tren.” This splinter group, composed of ex-TdA members, continues to engage in violent crime.
In a significant policy move, the Trump State Department officially designated Tren de Aragua and other similar migrant gangs as foreign terrorist organizations. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 21 out of the 27 accused are already in federal custody. Sixteen were previously detained on federal, state, or immigration charges, and five more were arrested in recent days.
DHS Cracks Down on Migrant Gangs
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem recently visited a prison in El Salvador, where hundreds of Tren de Aragua members deported from the U.S. are now detained.
Most defendants are in their twenties, though some are older, with the eldest being 44. If convicted, many face multiple life sentences for racketeering, sex trafficking, alien importation, drug trafficking, carjacking conspiracy, robbery, firearms violations, and extortion.
Horrific Exploitation of Women Highlighted
Among the most disturbing allegations is the smuggling of “multadas” – Venezuelan women forced into sex slavery. According to prosecutors, TdA and Anti-Tren kept these women in bondage through threats, violence, and even murder. “They threatened to kill them and their families and by assaulting, shooting and killing them and tracking down those who attempted to flee,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
DOJ: The Beginning of the End for Tren de Aragua
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi underlined the case’s magnitude: “Today’s indictments and arrests span three states and will devastate TdA’s infrastructure as we work to completely dismantle and purge this organization from our country.”
Bondi added, “Tren de Aragua is not just a street gang. It is a highly structured terrorist organization that has destroyed American families with brutal violence, engaged in human trafficking, and spread deadly drugs through our communities.”
NYPD Commissioner Applauds Federal Partnership
New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch praised this unprecedented move, noting, “For the first time ever, TdA is being named and charged as the criminal enterprise that it is.”
“This gang has shown zero regard for the safety of New Yorkers,” Tisch continued. “As alleged in the indictment, these defendants wreaked havoc in our communities, trafficking women for sexual exploitation, flooding our streets with drugs, and committing violent crimes with illegal guns. Thanks to the dedicated members of the NYPD and the important work of our federal partners, their time is up.”
Joint Task Force Vulcan Expands Its Reach
The case also drew strength from Joint Task Force Vulcan, initially established in 2019 to combat the Salvadoran gang MS-13. This multi-agency force now turns its focus toward dismantling Tren de Aragua, further solidifying the administration’s aggressive stance against foreign criminal networks.
