Peru Deports Three Venezuelan Nationals Linked to Tren de Aragua

Peruvian authorities deported three Venezuelan citizens linked to the criminal group Tren de Aragua, sending them back to their home country. The three men, identified as Edinson Agustín Barrera, Rodismel Alcántara, and Rafael Sorrilla, had already served time in Peruvian prisons for organized crime-related offenses.

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We are producing the expulsion of three highly dangerous Venezuelan criminals belonging to Tren de Aragua, one particularly responsible for horrible things.

Foreign Minister Carlos Espá stated at the airport that the expelled individuals were "highly dangerous" and included someone responsible for "horrible things." The Minister of the Interior, César Astudillo, pledged further expulsions of Venezuelan citizens with criminal backgrounds, declaring, "We have more of these undesirables to deport."

The deportations are part of a broader government strategy to combat rising crime, with the Minister of Defense, Rafael Belaúnde, announcing that the armed forces would guard borders to prevent re-entry. President Keiko Fujimori has prioritized military leadership in the fight against crime, aiming to regain control in areas affected by extortion, drug trafficking, and illegal mining.

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We have more of these undesirables to deport.

Peru is experiencing its most severe security crisis since its internal armed conflict. Homicides have surged from 1,000 in 2018 to 2,600 last year, while extortion complaints have skyrocketed from 3,200 to 25,500 in the same period. The Tren de Aragua, designated a terrorist organization by Washington, originated in Venezuela in 2014 and has since spread to eight South American countries, implicated in human trafficking, murder, kidnapping, robbery, drug trafficking, and extortion. Peru has absorbed 1.6 million Venezuelan migrants in the past six years.

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This is an operation carried out in strict compliance with the guidelines ordered by the president regarding the collaboration of the Armed Forces in the fight against citizen insecurity.