Donald Trump’s latest speech escalates attacks on migrants and Venezuela, linking the Tren de Aragua non existing gang to the Maduro government and justifying mass deportations, militarization, and new sanctions. Human rights groups and Venezuelan organizations denounce the criminalization of migrants and warn of the humanitarian consequences.

Trump’s “War” on Migrants: Venezuela and Tren de Aragua as Scapegoats

In a speech marking his first 100 days of his second term, President Donald Trump doubled down on his hardline anti-migrant agenda, placing Venezuela and the criminal group, long ago dismantled by Venezuelan authorities, Tren de Aragua at the center of his narrative. Trump’s declarations, widely disseminated by left-wing and progressive sources, reveal a strategy of mass deportations, judicial maneuvers, and economic sanctions that, according to critics, threaten the rights and safety of migrants while deepening the humanitarian crisis for Venezuelans in the U.S.

Criminalization and Mass Deportations: The Foreign Enemies Act in Action

Trump invoked the 1798 Foreign Enemies Act to justify the deportation of hundreds of Venezuelans, many without due process, to maximum-security prisons in El Salvador. Human Rights Watch and Venezuelan advocacy groups have denounced these actions as a violation of international law and a dangerous precedent for the criminalization of migration. Official data confirm that a significant portion of those deported had no criminal record or proven links to the Tren de Aragua, exposing the arbitrariness of the policy.

The Trump administration has labeled the Tren de Aragua a “foreign terrorist organization,” equating it with ISIS and Mexican cartels. Trump claims, without presenting verifiable evidence, that the group was created and trained by the Venezuelan government to destabilize the United States. Leftist analysts and Venezuelan community leaders argue that this narrative serves as a pretext for mass deportations and further sanctions against Venezuela, while stoking xenophobia and fear among the U.S. public.

#ENVIDEO | Donald Trump cumple 100 días en la Casa Blanca 🇺🇸. teleSUR realiza un primer balance de su gestión. ¿Qué otro hito agregarías? pic.twitter.com/DbJkn0DiXj

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The text reads:Donald Trump marks 100 days in the White House. teleSUR provides an initial assessment of his administration. What other milestone would you add?

In addition to deportations, Trump announced new “secondary tariffs” on Venezuela, penalizing any country that trades oil or gas with the South American nation. This escalation, justified by the alleged influx of “violent criminals,” is seen by many commentators as collective punishment designed to worsen the situation in Venezuela and isolate its population. The move is part of a broader strategy to pressure the President Maduro government, which Trump accuses of orchestrating a “criminal invasion” of the United States.

Trump boasted of deploying the military to the border “from day one” to confront what he calls a “migrant invasion.” He blamed “left-wing extremists” and the courts for supposedly protecting criminals and hindering the administration’s efforts to capture and deport alleged terrorists. Progressive legal organizations have challenged the use of wartime laws against migrants, warning of the erosion of civil liberties and the normalization of militarized immigration enforcement.

#UnitedStates | Polls conducted by several U.S. outlets show that President Donald Trump has the lowest approval rating during his first 100 days in office of any president in the past seven decades.https://t.co/mBtKFaHEXc

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) April 28, 2025

Venezuelan organizations in the U.S. have denounced the collective stigmatization of their community, noting that only 0.08% of Venezuelan migrants have any proven link to the Tren de Aragua. Human rights advocates warn that Trump’s rhetoric and policies fuel xenophobia, encourage racial profiling, and put thousands of innocent lives at risk.

Trump’s speech frames the struggle against migration and Venezuela as a “sacred mission” and part of a supposed “Third World War.” Left-wing media and analysts argue that this narrative is designed to rally his political base, distract from domestic issues, and justify authoritarian measures. The consequences, they warn, are real: families torn apart, communities living in fear, and the deepening of a humanitarian crisis that extends far beyond U.S. borders.

Trump’s depiction of migration as a “sacred mission” reveals a messianic delusion that fuses personal destiny with state power, transforming anti-migrant policy into a quasi-religious crusade. In his rhetoric, Trump presents himself as a prophetic leader uniquely chosen to defend the nation from an apocalyptic threat, equating the arrival of migrants-particularly Venezuelans-with an existential evil that must be vanquished at all costs. This narrative is entirely detached from reality. Data consistently show that migrants do not commit crimes at higher rates than native-born citizens, so he is  weaponizing fear and moral panic to justify unprecedented measures, such as invoking 18th-century wartime laws to deport Venezuelans and detain them in offshore prisons without due process.

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