[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 195 (Wednesday, November 19, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H4786-H4788]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TREN DE ARAGUA BORDER SECURITY THREAT ASSESSMENT ACT
Mr. GUEST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 4070) to require a homeland security border threat assessment on
Tren de Aragua and associated strategic plan, and for other purposes.
[[Page H4787]]
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4070
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Tren de Aragua Border
Security Threat Assessment Act''.
SEC. 2. HOMELAND SECURITY BORDER THREAT ASSESSMENT ON TREN DE
ARAGUA; STRATEGIC PLAN.
(a) Threat Assessment.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland
Security, in consultation with the intelligence community and
the heads of other relevant Federal departments or agencies
as the Secretary determines appropriate, shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees a border threat
assessment regarding Tren de Aragua (in this section referred
to as the ``threat assessment'').
(2) Elements.--The threat assessment shall include the
following:
(A) An identification of current and potential criminal
threats posed by members of Tren de Aragua and affiliates
seeking to--
(i) unlawfully enter the United States through the
southwest, northern, or maritime border; or
(ii) exploit any security vulnerabilities along the
southwest, northern, or maritime border.
(B) Descriptions of the following with respect to Tren de
Aragua:
(i) Origins.
(ii) Strategic aims.
(iii) Tactical methods.
(iv) Funding sources.
(v) Leadership structure.
(vi) Chronological growth and presence in the United
States.
(C) Any other matters the Secretary of Homeland Security
considers appropriate.
(3) Form.--The threat assessment shall be submitted in
unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.
(b) Strategic Plan.--
(1) In general.--Not later than one year after the
submission of the threat assessment under subsection (a), the
Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the
heads of other relevant Federal departments or agencies as
the Secretary determines appropriate, shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees a strategic plan (in
this subsection referred to as the ``Strategic Plan'')
relating to countering the threats identified in the threat
assessment, in accordance with paragraph (2).
(2) Contents.--The Strategic Plan shall include, at a
minimum, a consideration of the following:
(A) The threat assessment, with an emphasis on efforts to
mitigate the criminal threats from transnational criminal
organizations, including the threats identified in the threat
assessment in accordance with subsection (a)(2)(A).
(B) Efforts to analyze and disseminate border security and
border threat information between Department of Homeland
Security border security components with the following:
(i) Other appropriate Federal departments and agencies with
missions associated with the southwest, northern, or maritime
border.
(ii) State, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement
agencies with jurisdictions adjacent to the southwest,
northern, or maritime border.
(C) Efforts to locate, detect, interdict, and disrupt
transnational criminal organizations, including Tren de
Aragua.
(D) Efforts to prevent transnational criminal
organizations, including Tren de Aragua, from proliferating
in the United States.
(c) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of
Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs of the Senate.
(2) Intelligence community.--The term ``intelligence
community'' has the meaning given such term in section 3(4)
of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4)).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Mississippi (Mr. Guest) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Goldman)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Mississippi.
General Leave
Mr. GUEST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H.R. 4070.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Mississippi?
There was no objection.
Mr. GUEST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4070, the Tren de
Aragua Border Security Threat Assessment Act.
Tren de Aragua, a gang formed in a Venezuelan prison, has expanded
its reach throughout the United States. Designated by the Trump
administration as a foreign terrorist organization, Tren de Aragua
members have been responsible for kidnapping and extorting businesses
throughout the United States.
This legislation would require the Department of Homeland Security to
conduct a border threat assessment on Tren de Aragua and develop a
strategic plan to counter the threats identified in the assessment.
I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill, and I am
grateful to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Knott) for bringing
forth this important piece of legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, conducting an assessment is an obvious and important
first step in addressing any homeland security threat we face. This
bill smartly and correctly requires a homeland security border threat
assessment on Tren de Aragua followed by the creation of a strategic
plan based on this assessment.
Unfortunately, this bill seems to be a little too late. The
administration is already bombing boats in the Caribbean that they
claim to be Tren de Aragua. I hope they have already done an assessment
and have a plan. They certainly have not shared anything with Congress
to that effect.
Mr. Speaker, it is very important for Congress to understand the
threat that is leading to this administration's actions and that
justifies this administration's actions. We have simply not been given
enough information about the Trump administration's assessments,
justification, and strategy for blowing up numerous boats off the coast
of Venezuela. Members of Congress must have this information, and that
is why I support this bill.
To be clear, we should have had this information long before the
administration started bombing boats that they could have chosen to
interdict or stop in other ways. This bill should not be necessary, but
I do thank my friend from North Carolina for introducing it and
recognizing that we should have a basic understanding of any
organization that we are going to take military action against.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GUEST. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Knott).
Mr. KNOTT. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to speak in favor of H.R.
4070, the Tren de Aragua Border Security Threat Assessment Act.
I thank Chairman Guest and Chairman Garbarino for their support and
leadership on the Homeland Security Committee from which this bill has
originated.
Before Congress, I had the privilege to work in law enforcement. I
saw firsthand the horrible effects, the dangerous effects, and the
lasting effects that weak borders have had on our wonderful country. Of
course, there are pressures on housing, healthcare, and education
wherever there are millions and millions of illegal aliens allowed to
come into the country and then placed throughout our country.
Of equal, if not greater, concern to me is the rampant growth and the
effects of transnational criminal organizations that have grown
throughout our country. This is perhaps best seen with Tren de Aragua.
Tren de Aragua has grown its presence throughout the United States.
It is growing every day and includes growth in my home State of North
Carolina. My legislation would require the Department of Homeland
Security to conduct a comprehensive border threat assessment to
identify the criminal threats posed by TdA members, the threats that
are posed to our communities, and how exactly they are so successful in
growing in our communities.
With this information, law enforcement and their intelligence
counterparts will be better able to deploy a unified and focused
strategy on how to appropriately dismantle and remove these threats
from our country.
It is past time that we return to a posture of strength to defend
America and our citizens. We must clearly and effectively send a
message that the
[[Page H4788]]
United States will no longer be a safe harbor for violent foreign
terrorist organizations like Tren de Aragua.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting
this important legislation.
Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of
my time.
Mr. Speaker, I support Members of Congress receiving more information
about the Trump administration's strategy against Tren de Aragua.
Therefore, I support this piece of legislation and urge its immediate
passage. It is long overdue for the Trump administration to share the
information it has with Congress that justifies its military action
against alleged Tren de Aragua members.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GUEST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4070. This
legislation is an important first step in combating an FTO, foreign
terrorist organization, that has embedded itself in our community. We
see firsthand stories of the violent crimes that these organizations
are associated with: robbery, kidnapping, assault, and murder.
I thank Mr. Knott for introducing this legislation. I wholeheartedly
support this legislation. I ask my colleagues on both sides of the
aisle to please support this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Guest) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 4070.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________