Trump's crackdown nets over 2,700 alleged members of notorious Venezuelan gang

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Federal authorities have arrested more than 2,700 alleged members of Tren de Aragua (TdA), the notorious Venezuelan gang that has come to define the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration and mass deportation program, since President Donald Trump took office, officials said Friday. 

Attorney General Pam Bondi noted the arrests during a White House press briefing when she was asked if an undocumented baby would be an immigration enforcement priority. 

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Attorney General Pam Bondi

Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks to the media, Friday, June 27, 2025, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Bondi responded by saying violent illegal immigrants are prioritized for deportation. 

“Let me put it in perspective: Today marked the 2,711th arrest in our country of TdA members,” she said. “Everyone in this room agrees that they are one of the most violent criminal organizations in the world.”

Bondi blamed the large numbers of criminal illegal immigrants in the country, as well as letting TdA gain a foothold in the U.S., on the Biden administration’s lax border policies.

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El Salvador guards bring in prisoners with their heads shaved

Suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday said more than 2,700 TdA members have been arrested in the U.S. since President Donald Trump took office.  (El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The Trump administration has designated the gang as a terrorist organization, which Trump has used to allow the speedy deportation of its members under the Alien Enemies Act, which has been challenged in the courts. 

“You should all feel safer now that President Trump can deport all of these gangs and not one district court judge can think that they’re emperor over this administration and his executive powers,” she said Trump standing nearby. 

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Unknown in the United States until recent years, TdA has been involved in several high-profile crimes and terrorizing a Colorado apartment complex.