Tren De Aragua: fact or misinformation?
If you paid attention to the US elections last year, you probably asked yourself, like me, what is this clown show? All jokes aside, it was an election that was dominated by topics such as border security, the economy, and, in particular, one incident dominated the headlines. I'm referring to the Aurora city complex that saw four armed individuals trying to kick in an apartment door. Trump at a rally deliberately presented this as proof that Tren de Aragua was taking over the complex and used this as misinformation to mislead people. Then, in early 2025, the Trump administration signed an executive order to declare multiple groups as designated terrorist organizations, one of which was Tren de Aragua, which in 2024 was designated a Transnational organization by the Biden Administration. A fact that will become useful later is the millions of people who have fled Venezuela since 2015, and how this factor plays into Tren de Aragua’s expansion.
Separating fact from misinformation in this area can be challenging, especially with the abundance of information on social media. Chris Dalby’s book, Tren de Aragua: The Guide to America’s Growing Criminal Threat, addresses this issue effectively. As an experienced investigative journalist, Dalby offers credible insights into the topic. In this book, he covers everything from Tren de Aragua's origins to its rapid expansion across South America. He explains how Tren De Aragua blended into the mass migration from Venezuela and clarifies how Tren de Aragua operates. Additionally, he evaluates claims about Tren de Aragua’s presence in America and whether they accurately represent the group’s activities. exploring whether they truly reflect the group's activities or not, and much more.
This book is essential for understanding Tren De Aragua, as it is well-supported by facts. At the end, there is a list of resources that you can check out for further information. Chris Dalby is an excellent investigative journalist, and I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Additionally, Chris has a Substack called "Sports and Crime Briefing," along with a series titled "Seasons of Crime," both of which are very informative. Again, I highly recommend his work and his books.
