An AP team goes to the birthplace of Tren de Aragua, the gang put at the center of Trump’s anti-immigrant narrative

By Regina Garcia Cano, Juan Pablo Arráez and Cristian Hernández

The Tren de Aragua gang has been known for more than a decade in Venezuela, but it gained global notoriety after U.S. President Donald Trump placed it at the center of his anti-immigrant narrative. The U.S. government designated Tren de Aragua a terrorist organization and deported more than 200 Venezuelans it claimed were linked to the gang to a prison in El Salvador.

But what is the origin of Tren de Aragua? The answer lies in northern Venezuela, in Aragua state—so an AP team went there to find out.

Correspondent Regina Garcia Cano, videojournalist Juan Pablo Arráez and photo stringer Cristian Hernández traveled to the town where the gang took over a prison and turned it into its headquarters. With patience, active listening and carefully chosen questions, the journalists earned the trust of residents willing to share their experiences and insights about a group that continues to instill fear both locally and abroad.

Judges praised the story for its thorough reporting, powerful visuals and human-centered storytelling that added critical depth to a topic often treated solely through a political lens. The reporting offered a perspective missing from other coverage and brought global readers closer to the gang’s roots and the community left in its shadow.