[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 53 (Thursday, March 20, 2025)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 13033-13036]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-04865]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 53 / Thursday, March 20, 2025 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 13033]]
Proclamation 10903 of March 14, 2025
Invocation of the Alien Enemies Act Regarding the
Invasion of the United States by Tren de Aragua
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Tren de Aragua (TdA) is a designated Foreign Terrorist
Organization with thousands of members, many of whom
have unlawfully infiltrated the United States and are
conducting irregular warfare and undertaking hostile
actions against the United States. TdA operates in
conjunction with C[aacute]rtel de los Soles, the
Nicolas Maduro regime-sponsored, narco-terrorism
enterprise based in Venezuela, and commits brutal
crimes, including murders, kidnappings, extortions, and
human, drug, and weapons trafficking. TdA has engaged
in and continues to engage in mass illegal migration to
the United States to further its objectives of harming
United States citizens, undermining public safety, and
supporting the Maduro regime's goal of destabilizing
democratic nations in the Americas, including the
United States.
TdA is closely aligned with, and indeed has
infiltrated, the Maduro regime, including its military
and law enforcement apparatus. TdA grew significantly
while Tareck El Aissami served as governor of Aragua
between 2012 and 2017. In 2017, El Aissami was
appointed as Vice President of Venezuela. Soon
thereafter, the United States Department of the
Treasury designated El Aissami as a Specially
Designated Narcotics Trafficker under the Foreign
Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, 21 U.S.C. 1901 et
seq. El Aissami is currently a United States fugitive
facing charges arising from his violations of United
States sanctions triggered by his Department of the
Treasury designation.
Like El Aissami, Nicolas Maduro, who claims to act as
Venezuela's President and asserts control over the
security forces and other authorities in Venezuela,
also maintains close ties to regime-sponsored narco-
terrorists. Maduro leads the regime-sponsored
enterprise C[aacute]rtel de los Soles, which
coordinates with and relies on TdA and other
organizations to carry out its objective of using
illegal narcotics as a weapon to ``flood'' the United
States. In 2020, Maduro and other regime members were
charged with narcoterrorism and other crimes in
connection with this plot against America.
Over the years, Venezuelan national and local
authorities have ceded ever-greater control over their
territories to transnational criminal organizations,
including TdA. The result is a hybrid criminal state
that is perpetrating an invasion of and predatory
incursion into the United States, and which poses a
substantial danger to the United States. Indeed, in
December 2024, INTERPOL Washington confirmed: ``Tren de
Aragua has emerged as a significant threat to the
United States as it infiltrates migration flows from
Venezuela.'' Evidence irrefutably demonstrates that TdA
has invaded the United States and continues to invade,
attempt to invade, and threaten to invade the country;
perpetrated irregular warfare within the country; and
used drug trafficking as a weapon against our citizens.
Based upon a review of TdA's activities, and in
consultation with the Attorney General and the
Secretary of the Treasury, on February 20, 2025, acting
pursuant to the authority in 8 U.S.C. 1189, the
Secretary of State designated TdA as a Foreign
Terrorist Organization.
[[Page 13034]]
As President of the United States and Commander in
Chief, it is my solemn duty to protect the American
people from the devastating effects of this invasion.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the
United States of America, by the authority vested in me
by the Constitution and the laws of the United States
of America, including the Alien Enemies Act, 50 U.S.C.
21 et seq., hereby proclaim and direct as follows:
Section 1. I find and declare that TdA is perpetrating,
attempting, and threatening an invasion or predatory
incursion against the territory of the United States.
TdA is undertaking hostile actions and conducting
irregular warfare against the territory of the United
States both directly and at the direction, clandestine
or otherwise, of the Maduro regime in Venezuela. I make
these findings using the full extent of my authority to
conduct the Nation's foreign affairs under the
Constitution. Based on these findings, and by the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States of America, including 50 U.S.C.
21, I proclaim that all Venezuelan citizens 14 years of
age or older who are members of TdA, are within the
United States, and are not actually naturalized or
lawful permanent residents of the United States are
liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured, and
removed as Alien Enemies. I further find and declare
that all such members of TdA are, by virtue of their
membership in that organization, chargeable with actual
hostility against the United States and are therefore
ineligible for the benefits of 50 U.S.C. 22. I further
find and declare that all such members of TdA are a
danger to the public peace or safety of the United
States.
Sec. 2. I direct the Attorney General, within 60 days
of the date of this proclamation, to prepare and
publish a letter under her signature declaring the
policy described in section 1 of this proclamation as
the policy of the United States and attaching this
proclamation. I direct the Attorney General to transmit
this letter to the Chief Justice of the United States,
the chief judge of every circuit court of appeals, the
chief judge of every district and territorial court of
the United States, each Governor of a State and
territory of the United States, and the highest-ranking
judicial officer of each State and territory of the
United States.
Sec. 3. I direct that all Alien Enemies described in
section 1 of this proclamation are subject to immediate
apprehension, detention, and removal, and further that
they shall not be permitted residence in the United
States.
Sec. 4. Pursuant to the Alien Enemies Act, the Attorney
General and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall,
consistent with applicable law, apprehend, restrain,
secure, and remove every Alien Enemy described in
section 1 of this proclamation. The Secretary of
Homeland Security retains discretion to apprehend and
remove any Alien Enemy under any separate authority.
Sec. 5. All executive departments and agencies
(agencies) shall collaborate with law enforcement
officials of the United States and with appropriate
State, local, and tribal officials, to use all lawful
means to apprehend, restrain, secure, and remove Alien
Enemies described in section 1 of this proclamation.
Sec. 6. Pursuant to my authority under 50 U.S.C. 21 to
direct the conduct to be observed on the part of the
United States toward the Alien Enemies subject to this
proclamation, to direct the manner and degree of the
restraint to which such Alien Enemies shall be subject
and in what cases, to provide for the removal of such
Alien Enemies, and to establish any other regulations
which are found necessary ``in the premises and for the
public safety,'' I hereby direct the Attorney General
and the Secretary of Homeland Security to execute all
the regulations hereinafter contained regarding the
Alien Enemies described in section 1 of this
proclamation. The Attorney General and the Secretary of
Homeland Security are further directed to cause the
apprehension, detention, and removal of all members of
TdA who otherwise qualify as Alien Enemies under
section 1 of this proclamation. The Attorney General
and the Secretary of Homeland Security are authorized
to take
[[Page 13035]]
all necessary actions under the Alien Enemies Act to
effectuate this proclamation, consistent with
applicable law. In doing so, and for such purpose, they
are authorized to utilize agents, agencies, and
officers of the United States Government and of the
several States, territories, dependencies, and
municipalities thereof and of the District of Columbia.
All such agents, agencies, and officers are hereby
granted full authority for all acts done by them in the
execution of such regulations when acting by direction
of the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland
Security, as the case may be.
Pursuant to the authority vested in me by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of
America, including the Alien Enemies Act, 50 U.S.C. 21
et seq., I hereby declare and establish the following
regulations which I find necessary ``in the premises
and for the public safety'':
(a) No Alien Enemy described in section 1 of this
proclamation shall enter, attempt to enter, or be found
within any territory subject to the jurisdiction of the
United States. Any such Alien Enemy who enters,
attempts to enter, or is found within such territory
shall be immediately apprehended and detained until
removed from the United States. All such Alien Enemies,
wherever found within any territory subject to the
jurisdiction of the United States, are subject to
summary apprehension.
(b) Alien Enemies apprehended pursuant to this
proclamation shall be subject to detention until
removed from the United States in such place of
detention as may be directed by the officers
responsible for the execution of these regulations.
(c) Alien Enemies shall be subject to removal to
any such location as may be directed by the officers
responsible for the execution of these regulations
consistent with applicable law.
(d) All property in the possession of, or traceable
to, an Alien Enemy, which is used, intended to be used,
or is commonly used to perpetrate the hostile activity
and irregular warfare of TdA, along with evidence of
such hostile activity and irregular warfare, shall be
subject to seizure and forfeiture.
The Attorney General is further granted authority,
pursuant to the Alien Enemies Act and 3 U.S.C. 301, in
consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security,
to issue any guidance necessary to effectuate the
prompt apprehension, detention, and removal of all
Alien Enemies described in section 1 of this
proclamation. Any such guidance shall be effective
immediately upon issuance by the Attorney General.
This proclamation and the directives and regulations
prescribed herein shall extend and apply to all land
and water, continental or insular, in any way within
the jurisdiction of the United States.
[[Page 13036]]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
fourteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
ninth.
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2025-04865
Filed 3-19-25; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P