National Security Adviser Mike Waltz appeared on Fox News Monday to discuss the basis for declaring Tren De Aragua (TdA) as terrorists.
President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to the Venezuelan gang TdA on Saturday and designated its members as “Alien Enemies” of the U.S., subjecting them to immediate arrest and deportation. During an appearance on “The Ingraham Angle,” Waltz explained what he said were the reasons behind the U.S. government’s designating TdA as a foreign terrorist organization.
“Our sovereignty and the safety of our citizens is a core national security issue,” Waltz told Laura Ingraham. “I could tell you, the average American, the people out there just trying to keep their families safe.”
Waltz recounted feedback from communities and local law enforcement who said they were grateful to Trump for deporting these dangerous individuals.
“When you talk about hundreds of members, tattooed, violent gang members, being deported, they’re saying ‘Thank you, President Trump.’ Local law enforcement is saying ‘Thank you, President Trump.’ Our sheriffs are saying ‘Thank you,’” Waltz said. “At the end of the day, these gang members are an arm of a foreign terrorist organization. They are no different than ISIS in the way that they rape, torture, kill, maim their victims. They’re no different.”
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Waltz also commended El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele for his proactive measures in addressing gang violence, which included producing deterrent videos aimed at discouraging criminal behavior.
“They’re lucky, frankly, that they got a deportation flight. Thank you, by the way, President Bukele of El Salvador, for taking this problem on. God bless him for making that video,” Waltz said.
Bukele shared a video on X showing footage where soldiers led tattooed men from an airplane, forced them to bend towards the ground, and frog-marched them to waiting buses, where hooded prison guards then shaved their heads, all set to a dramatic musical soundtrack.
Today, the first 238 members of the Venezuelan criminal organization, Tren de Aragua, arrived in our country. They were immediately transferred to CECOT, the Terrorism Confinement Center, for a period of one year (renewable).
The United States will pay a very low fee for them,… pic.twitter.com/tfsi8cgpD6
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) March 16, 2025
Waltz also addressed concerns about ongoing deportation flights amid legal challenges and said the administration is committed to continuing these operations. He criticized previous administration policies under former President Joe Biden. (RELATED: Nine Suspected Tren De Aragua Gangbangers Charged For Brutal Kidnapping)
“Let me just knock down this allegation that the administration did not comply with a lawful order. They did comply, number one. Number two, this administration, this is what everyone can assume, every American can assume, is going to do everything it can to clean up our streets, to clean up the mess Joe Biden left us with, a wide-open border, and to keep our people safe,” Waltz said.
Upon Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, he implemented multiple executive orders aimed at curbing illegal immigration. These orders included labeling Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, proclaiming a national emergency at the southern border, and ordering federal agencies to deploy “all available resources and authorities” to fortify border security.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/Fox News)
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