U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently confirmed that dozens of alleged Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang members have been arrested at U.S.-Canada border crossings under President Donald Trump’s administration.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection told Fox News that 40 suspected Tren de Aragua members were arrested between January 20, 2025, and March 21, 2025, at the Ambassador Bridge crossing between Detroit and Canada.
According to Fox News, the Ambassador Bridge has a reputation of having confusing roadway signs that cause issues for both U.S. and Canadian citizens at the border. The outlet noted that the bridge has now become a capture point for Venezuelan gang members.
Fox News reported that while U.S. Customs and Border Protection indicated that they do not currently have intelligence pointing to any correlation between the president’s border policies and the recent Tren de Aragua gang member arrests at the northern border bridge crossing, former Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Michael Brown suggested that the Venezuelan gang is changing tactics due to the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigrant gang activity.
“As a TdA member, I don’t want to end up in El Centro,” Brown told Fox News in reference to gang members wanting to avoid the prison in El Salvador where the Trump administration has sent hundreds of illegal immigrant gang members. “So where do they go? Canada. They know they won’t face the same consequences there.”
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Brown told Fox News that the increase of Tren de Aragua’s gang activity in the United States is a result of former President Joe Biden’s “open-border policy,” which allowed illegal immigrants connected to the violent Venezuelan gang to establish operations all across the country.
“Sanctuary cities provided political top cover,” Brown told Fox News. “With mayors and governors unwilling to acknowledge the growing threat.”
As Tren de Aragua appears to be heading toward Canada amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration and gang activity, Brown warned that Canada’s progressive narcotics policies could make the country an ideal location for cartels.
“Canada’s unofficial open-door policy for criminal organizations isn’t new,” Brown said. “What you never hear about is them being taken down, because they’ve figured out how to operate within the system.”
“They’re underestimating what starts as a few individuals. But like a virus, it spreads quickly — and if not stopped early, it metastasizes into a national crisis,” Brown added. “This isn’t random. TdA doesn’t send busloads to Canada. They’re deploying scouts, making alliances, securing territory. If they find a foothold, then comes the flood.”
