DOJ Probes Classified Intel Leak to New York Times Challenging Deportation of Venezuelan Gang Members

‘We will not tolerate politically motivated efforts by the Deep State to undercut President Trump’s agenda by leaking false information,’ a DOJ official said.

In this image from video, Todd Blanche testifies during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Feb. 12, 2025. He was later confirmed as deputy attorney general. The Epoch Times via Senate Judiciary Committee

The Justice Department announced on March 21 that it has opened a criminal investigation into a leak of classified intelligence regarding the Tren de Aragua gang—information that was reported by The New York Times and appears to challenge the legal foundation for President Donald Trump’s recent deportation efforts targeting the violent transnational gang.

In a statement issued on March 21, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating what he called the “selective leak of inaccurate, but nevertheless classified” intelligence about Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang that the State Department has designated a foreign terrorist organization.

The gang has become a key focus of Trump’s immigration and national security agenda. On March 15, Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act—a rarely used wartime law—to declare members of Tren de Aragua “alien enemies” invading the United States in coordination with the Venezuelan regime.

The proclamation allows for their immediate arrest and deportation without standard due process protections. However, this move has faced legal challenges and public scrutiny.

The New York Times reported on March 20 that a leaked intelligence document dated Feb. 26 challenges the legal basis for Trump’s designation of the criminal group as “alien enemies.”

According to the document, analysts assessed with “moderate confidence” that the gang is not acting under the direction of or in coordination with the Venezuelan government—a key assertion in Trump’s proclamation. The Epoch Times has not independently verified the leaked report.

Trump’s proclamation described the group as part of a “hybrid criminal state” conducting a “predatory incursion” into the United States.

Blanche strongly condemned the leak, calling it a politically motivated effort by elements of the “Deep State” to derail Trump’s crackdown on Tren de Aragua’s criminal activities in the United States and his efforts to quickly deport dangerous terrorists.

“We will not tolerate politically motivated efforts by the Deep State to undercut President Trump’s agenda by leaking false information onto the pages of their allies at the New York Times,” Blanche said.

“The Alien Enemies Proclamation is supported by fact, law, and common sense, which we will establish in court and then expel the TDA [Tren de Aragua] terrorists from this country.”

Responding to the DOJ’s launch of an investigation, a New York Times spokesperson defended the newspaper’s reporting, citing the importance of press freedom.

“Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of democracy and [is] critical for citizens to hold their government accountable. Leak investigations are meant to chill communications between journalists and sources, and undermine the ability of a free press to bring out vital information that may otherwise be hidden,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

“Our story raised fundamental questions about whether the American people were getting a straight story about an important national security issue,” the spokesperson stated. “That is precisely what journalists should be doing, no matter which party is in office.”

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on March 21 that 68 Tren de Aragua members had been arrested in less than a week. The agencies credited the arrests to Trump’s designation of the gang as a foreign terrorist organization, enabling a whole-of-government response.

“Tren De Aragua is a terrorist organization whose members are rapists, drug traffickers, and murderers. We will continue to make sure these dirtbags are removed from America’s streets and face justice,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement.

In the past 100 days, the administration says it has arrested 394 suspected members of Tren de Aragua, a gang infamous for brutal crimes including human trafficking and kidnappings, and associated with the murders of nursing student Laken Riley and 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray.

Meanwhile, the FBI announced on March 19 that it is expanding its counterterrorism mission to aggressively target transnational criminal organizations, including Tren de Aragua.

“Border security is essential to protecting our country and providing safer communities for our citizens,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement.

“We’re expanding the watchlist to include cartel and gang members from newly designated foreign terrorist organizations. This change will assist our law enforcement and Intelligence Community partners as we all work together toward the goal of crushing violent crime within our borders.”

This shift builds on the State Department’s recent designation of eight major gangs and cartels—including Tren de Aragua—as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists. The designations enhance the federal government’s ability to freeze assets, impose financial sanctions, and deny visas to individuals affiliated with these groups.