Trump administration officials continue to take down Tren de Aragua gang members here and abroad, with President Donald Trump announcing the U.S. military killed one of the gang’s top leaders last week.
The U.S. Southern Command, with help from Venezuela, killed Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, “the infamous leader” of the TdA gang, in a targeted airstrike.
🇺🇸💥 #DonaldTrump informó que el Comando Sur de #EstadosUnidos ejecutó un “ataque cinético rápido y letal” con el objetivo de eliminar a Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias “Niño Guerrero”, identificado como el máximo líder de la organización criminal transnacional… pic.twitter.com/30a3TC2eZW
— Eunice Rendón (@EuniceRendon) June 13, 2026
Another suspected TdA gang member, Jairo Antonio Molina Moron, was arrested in New York last month after he was released by local authorities following his arrest for felony assault, officials said.
President Trump shared video of the “swift and lethal kinetic” strike that killed Guerrero on his Truth Social account Friday night. Trump described Guerrero as “the infamous leader of Tren De Aragua, one of the most bloodthirsty Terrorist Organizations on Planet Earth.”
U.S. Southern Command Commander Gen. Francis Donovan said the joint operation had targeted “a Tren de Aragua compound” in rural Venezuela, in a statement on X.
“We extend our gratitude to the Venezuelan security forces for their support to the successful joint operation against a Tren de Aragua compound that resulted in the death of the narco-terrorist organization’s leader Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias “Niño Guerrero.”… https://t.co/GT4z4FMyYq
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) June 13, 2026
Venezuela’s government said that it worked with the U.S. to kill the gang leader, also known as El Niño Guerrero, and the joint operation involved intelligence sharing and specialized technical support to target the compound, ABC News reported.
Trump’s Truth Social post included a video showing a building with a green roof being blow up by a massive explosion. Tren de Aragua, a violent Venezuelan prison gang, has been designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization.
“This action was coordinated closely with our friends in Venezuela, with whom we are working very well,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “As a result, Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else and, under my leadership, we will find these vicious murderers and drugs lords anytime, anyplace, and send them to the depths of hell where they belong.”
For years, Tren de Aragua – also known as “TdA” – not only terrorized Venezuela but also countries such as Bolivia, Colombia, Chile and Peru. TdA members made their way to the United States and have been linked to murders and other violent crime, as well as drug smuggling and human trafficking.
Guerrero was listed as a most wanted fugitive by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The U.S. State Department offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture.
In December 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York charged Guerrero with racketeering conspiracy and other crimes, including ordering and facilitating acts of terrorism within the U.S.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said at the time that the gang is responsible for countless acts of violence, extortion and drug trafficking in North America, South America and Europe.
In his Truth Social post, Trump blamed President Joe Biden, who “opened our Southern Border to millions of Illegal Criminals, and allowed this foreign army to rape, maim, and murder American Citizens with total impunity.”
During the Biden administration, many TdA members headed for the sanctuary state of New York where they were put up in hotels in New York City and received other free services.
ICE agents continue to make at-large arrests in sanctuary states after local authorities allow these violent gang members to bond out of jail.
Jairo Antonio Molina Moron, an illegal migrant from Venezuela and suspected TdA member, was arrested on May 24 during a targeted operation in Albion, New York, a rural area in upstate New York.
ICE Buffalo’s Fugitive Operations Team officers and U.S. Marshals Service deputies arrested Molina Moron on May 24 after he was released following two arrests for assault since 2024.
The 38-year-old alleged gang member has local charges pending for felony assault with intent to cause physical injury with a weapon or instrument.
Molina Moron was paroled into the United States in 2023 under the Biden administration’s open border policy.
“Transnational criminal gang members are not welcome in New York,” said Enforcement and Removal Operations New York acting Field Office Director Philip Rhoney. “We will never waver in our resolve to ensure these criminals gang members are not free to terrorize New Yorkers.”
The New York City Police Department arrested him for assault with intent to cause physical injury in December 2024, but those charges were subsequently dropped, ICE officials said.
The Yonkers Police Department arrested Molina Moron for felony assault with intent to cause physical injury with a weapon or instrument in February 2025.
ICE lodged an immigration detainer against him, but local authorities refused to honor it and released Molina Moron back into the community. He is detained in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings.
“The arrest of Molina Moron is the product of teamwork, coordination and a relentless commitment to protecting communities through collaboration,” said District of Western New York U.S. Marshal Charles Salina. “We are proud to work with our ICE partners and other federal agencies with immigration enforcement efforts.”
