Declassified intelligence memo contradicts Trump's claims linking gang to Venezuelan government

WASHINGTON (AP) — A newly declassified U.S. intelligence assessment confirms that analysts at American spy agencies found no coordination between Tren de Aragua and the Venezuelan government, contradicting statements the Trump administration used to justify invoking the Alien Enemies Act and deporting Venezuelan immigrants.

The redacted memo from the National Intelligence Council said there was no indication that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro or other senior government officials are directing the actions of Tren de Aragua, a gang that originated in a prison in Venezuela. That is even as some mid- to low-level Venezuelan officials may have ties to the gang for financial gain, the document says.

“While Venezuela's permissive environment enables TDA to operate, the Maduro regime probably does not have a policy of cooperating with TDA and is not directing TDA movement to and operations in the United States,” the memo reads. “Furthermore, most of the IC judges that intelligence indicating that regime leaders are directing or enabling TDA migration to the United States is not credible.”

Trump has invoked the Alien Enemies Act to speed the deportations of people his administration has labeled members of the gang. The 18th century wartime law was created to give the president the power to imprison or deport noncitizens in a time of war. It has been used three times, most recently when Japanese Americans were detained during World War II.

Tren de Aragua has been linked to a series of kidnappings, extortion and other crimes throughout the Western Hemisphere. Those activities are tied to a mass exodus of millions of Venezuelans as their country’s economy unraveled over the past decade.

The National Intelligence Council helps to coordinate the work of the nation's intelligence services and its conclusions reflect the findings of individual agencies.

While the assessment found no evidence of significant coordination between Maduro and the gang, it noted that FBI analysts had reason to believe some Venezuelan officials may have helped some gang members move to the U.S. and other countries “to advance what they see as the Maduro regime's goal of destabilizing governments and undermining public safety,” according to the assessment.

A spokesperson for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard rejected claims that the assessment contradicted the White House and noted that it did find some ties between mid- and low-level officials in Maduro's government and the gang.

Gabbard's office, which oversees and coordinates the work of the nation's 18 intelligence agencies, “fully supports the assessment that the foreign terrorist organization, Tren De Aragua, is acting with the support of the Maduro Regime, and thus subject to arrest, detention, and removal as alien enemies of the United States," the spokesperson, Alexa Henning, said in a statement.

The assessment, which includes significant redactions, was released after the Freedom of the Press Foundation filed an open records request. Lauren Harper, who holds the Daniel Ellsberg Chair on Government Secrecy at the foundation, said it is critical to push for government transparency, especially as the Trump administration signals it may subpoena reporters to investigate government leakers.

“The public deserves to read this document,” Harper said of the assessment.

Two federal judges have found that Trump is improperly using the Alien Enemies Act and barred the administration from removing immigrants under it.

District Court Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein in New York said Tuesday that the 1798 law cannot be used against Tren de Aragua because it is not attacking the United States. “TdA may well be engaged in narcotics trafficking, but that is a criminal matter, not an invasion or predatory incursion,” Hellerstein wrote.

Democrats in Congress welcomed the assessment's release and questioned why Gabbard has supported Trump's justification for deportations, given her knowledge of the assessment.

In a statement, Reps. Jim Himes of Connecticut and Joaquin Castro of Texas said Gabbard needs to explain why her public comments don't match the assessment of her own agencies.

“The most basic responsibility of the director of national intelligence is to speak truth to power and, where possible, the American people,” said the lawmakers, who both serve on the House Intelligence Committee. “Misrepresenting intelligence in public causes grave damage.”

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Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed to this report.