U.S. President Donald Trump announced on March 21 that American forces had killed Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, the leader of the Venezuelan street gang Tren de Aragua, in an airstrike coordinated with the Venezuelan government.
On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote: "Under my direction, the U.S. Southern Command conducted a rapid and lethal kinetic attack that successfully eliminated Niño Guerrero, the notorious leader of Tren De Aragua, one of the most bloodthirsty terrorist organizations on the planet. This action was closely coordinated with our friends in Venezuela, with whom we are cooperating very well."
Trump's post also included a video of the airstrike.
The United States has designated Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization. Guerrero Flores had been indicted in a New York federal court on charges of conspiracy to commit extortion, terrorism, and drug trafficking spanning more than a decade, according to a December 2024 statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Earlier, the U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the capture of Guerrero Flores. U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton stated that the gang was responsible for countless acts of violence, extortion, and drug trafficking in North America, South America, and Europe.
The Trump administration has implemented a series of tough measures against this gang, including attacks on small vessels allegedly smuggling drugs into the United States. The administration has accused Tren de Aragua of "invading" the United States and causing violence and illegal drugs in cities—claims that have faced criticism from some in the Venezuelan community.
In his March 21 announcement, Trump also criticized his predecessor Joe Biden, asserting that the Biden administration had opened the southern border to "millions of illegal criminals" and allowed this "foreign army to rape, injure, and kill American citizens with impunity." He also referenced the murders of Jocelyn Nungaray and Laken Reilly, two American citizens who died in separate attacks by illegal immigrants—cases that have become political flashpoints in the United States.
