Donald Trump says US operation kills Tren de Aragua leader with Venezuelan help

President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. Southern Command carried out an operation that killed Niniyo Guerrero, the leader of the Venezuelan drug cartel Tren de Aragua. Trump described the group as one of the most violent terrorist organizations and said the strike was conducted in coordination with the Venezuelan government, ensuring the cartel would no longer have a safe haven. He linked the operation to his broader effort to reverse policies of the previous administration, which he said had allowed criminal groups to flourish, and noted that early in his term he placed Tren de Aragua on the U.S. foreign terrorist organization list and began expelling its members.

The announcement frames the action as a response to past violence linked to the cartel and as part of a tougher stance on transnational crime and immigration, signaling a shift in U.S. policy toward Venezuelan criminal networks.