U.S. intelligence agencies, including the FBI, believe Venezuelan officials “use members as proxies” in the U.S., according to a partially declassified report. The report, however, also suggests that President Nicolas Maduro’s regime is probably not managing the gang’s activities in the U.S. directly. So, let’s break this down logically.
The left claims that there’s no direct control by the Venezuelan government over this gang. The New York Times, citing a secret April 7 National Intelligence Council assessment, posits that “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.” This, however, is a fundamental misunderstanding of how proxies work. By definition, proxies act independently to advance the interests of another party, often without explicit direction.
The memo, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, failed to fortify President Donald Trump’s rationale for using the Alien Enemies Act to deport illegal migrants associated with Tren de Aragua. Yet, it did affirm the FBI’s belief that Venezuelan officials “use members as proxies” in the U.S. and other countries “to advance what they see as the Maduro regime’s goal of destabilizing governments and undermining public safety.” That’s just not true, the left claims. But here’s the reality. The facts don’t care about your feelings, and it’s objectively clear that this is a well-used geopolitical strategy.
The memo concludes that Maduro and his allies tolerate the gang’s activities within Venezuela. However, the gang poses a potential threat to the country’s stability. The idea that this gang, designated as a global terrorist organization by the Trump administration, could be both a tool and a threat to Maduro’s regime is not absurd on its face.
In conclusion, the left’s position that the Maduro regime has no involvement with Tren de Aragua lacks logical consistency. The FBI’s assessment that Venezuelan officials use gang members as proxies aligns with historically effective strategies of political manipulation.
