Federal authorities have arrested nearly 350 suspected members of Tren de Aragua in a series of separate enforcement operations carried out across the country in recent months, marking one of the most aggressive U.S. efforts to date against the Venezuelan criminal organization, U.S. law enforcement officials announced Wednesday.

At a news conference, U.S. Attorney General Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel said the arrests were carried out through coordinated federal operations targeting the gang’s expanding network across the United States.

The suspects face charges ranging from murder and execution-style kidnappings to drug trafficking, weapons offenses, robbery and sophisticated financial crimes, including ATM “jackpotting” schemes that allow criminals to force cash machines to dispense money illegally.

Federal officials described the operations as part of an aggressive strategy to dismantle the gang’s leadership, finances and regional cells before they can become more deeply entrenched.

According to the FBI, arrests specifically tied to Tren de Aragua — often referred to as TDA — have risen by 519% nationwide compared with the previous administration.

“This is not street-level crime in the traditional sense,” Patel said during the briefing. “This is organized, adaptive and increasingly sophisticated criminal activity.”

The federal operations are being led largely by Joint Task Force Vulcan, an initiative originally created to target the Salvadoran gang MS-13 but later expanded to combat other transnational criminal groups. Department of Homeland Security task forces across multiple regions are also involved.

Officials highlighted major federal prosecutions in the Northern District of Texas, centered in Dallas, and the Northern District of Illinois, centered in Chicago. Those cases involve alleged high-ranking Tren de Aragua operatives and multi-state criminal networks accused of coordinating violent crimes and financial schemes across state lines.

Authorities said investigations remain ongoing and signaled more arrests are likely.

The announcement reflects mounting concern in Washington over the rise of Tren de Aragua, a gang born inside Venezuela’s notorious Tocorón prison that has rapidly transformed into a transnational criminal enterprise with operations spanning much of the Western hemisphere.

Security analysts say the organization expanded alongside the historic exodus of Venezuelans fleeing economic collapse and political repression. As millions of Venezuelan refugees moved through Latin America, Tren de Aragua established criminal footholds along migration corridors, extending its reach into Colombia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador and eventually the United States.

Federal authorities have increasingly warned that the group poses a unique challenge.

Unlike traditional cartels with rigid command structures, Tren de Aragua often operates through decentralized cells capable of acting independently while maintaining ties to the broader organization. That flexibility allows it to move quickly, adapt to local conditions and evade disruption.

Law enforcement officials say cells linked to the gang in the United States have been associated with extortion, narcotics distribution, sex trafficking, robberies, kidnappings and contract killings.

Tuesday’s announcement also highlighted the group’s growing involvement in financial crime.

Among the schemes cited by officials was ATM jackpotting, a technically sophisticated form of theft in which criminals manipulate ATMs through malware, network intrusion or physical tampering to trigger unauthorized cash withdrawals. Investigators say such operations require coordination, technical expertise and laundering infrastructure, underscoring the organization’s evolution beyond conventional gang violence.

The growing focus on Tren de Aragua carries particular significance in South Florida, home to the country’s largest Venezuelan diaspora and a region where concerns over migration, crime and national security frequently intersect.

Miami has become a central hub for Venezuelan political exiles, migrants and business communities, making developments involving Venezuela especially resonant locally.

The gang’s rise has also complicated public discourse around migration.

While U.S. officials warn that Tren de Aragua has exploited migration routes to move operatives and establish criminal cells, community leaders have repeatedly stressed that the overwhelming majority of Venezuelan migrants have no connection to organized crime.

That distinction remains critical in South Florida, where many Venezuelans fear criminal narratives can quickly fuel broader anti-immigrant sentiment.

Still, Republican lawmakers in Florida and Washington have repeatedly cited Tren de Aragua as evidence of the security risks posed by weak border enforcement, making the gang a central talking point in broader immigration debates.

The Trump administration has increasingly framed transnational criminal organizations not just as law enforcement targets but as national security threats.

That approach has brought deeper coordination between federal prosecutors, immigration authorities and intelligence agencies, along with expanded use of racketeering and organized crime statutes.

Officials on Tuesday emphasized that the goal is not merely to arrest low-level members but to dismantle the organization’s operational backbone.

“We are not done,” Patel said. “We will continue identifying, locating and dismantling every Tren de Aragua network operating inside the United States.”

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