Miami.-The United States government has intensified its measures against illegal immigration and organized crime by transferring members of the Venezuelan Train of Aragua toGuantanamo Naval BaseCuba.
On February 6, 2025, a second flight transported 13 Venezuelan immigrants considered high risk, adding to the 10 that arrived the day before, according to Kristi Noem, Secretary of National Security of the United States.
“All are known gang members of Venezuela. Some of its atrocious crimes include: Homicide confessed; sought in Venezuela to escape from jail and by aggravated robbery with a weapon / attempt to commit homicide; arms trafficking; heist; Dangerous drug distribution; assault and fraud for impersonation of identity ”, Noem explained in X.
A Second Flight of Dangerous Criminal Aliens Took Off for Guantanamo Bay Yesterday. All are Known Gang Members from Venezuela. Sub of Their Heinous Crimes Include:
-Confessed homicide
-Wanted in Venezuela for Escaping from Jail and for Aggravated Robbery With Weapon/Intent to … https://t.co/sdpjg9mdf– Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) February 7, 2025
The Aragua Train, originated in a Venezuelan prison, has expanded significantly in Latin America, being involved in criminal activities such as traffic of people, extortion, kidnapping and drug trafficking. In July 2024, the administration of President Joe Biden classified this organization as a “deadly criminal threat to Latin America.”
Although the decision to use Guantanamo to arrest these individuals has generated debate, President Donald Trump has defended this measure as a strategy to stop the entry of “illegal criminal foreigners”, arguing that some detainees represent such a high danger that they do not even trust in which their countries of origin keep them in custody. Therefore, they have chosen to send them to Guantanamo.
Currently, approximately 300 members of the US army support detention operations at the Guantanamo Naval Base. Another flight for this Friday has been scheduled, although the number of undocumented immigrants who will be deported on this occasion is unknown. All flights start from Texas so far.
In addition to using this base as a detention center, the Trump Administration has ordered the customs immigration and control service (ICE) to increase the number of daily arrests, with the goal of capturing between 1,200 and 1,500 people per day.
