The president Donald Trump announced on Friday night that the U.S. Southern Command carried out a lethal strike against Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias "Niño Guerrero", founder and highest leader of the Tren de Aragua, at a location of the organization in Las Claritas, Bolívar state, Venezuela.
What makes this announcement an unprecedented diplomatic event is the language Trump used to refer to Caracas: "This action was closely coordinated with our friends in Venezuela, with whom we are collaborating very well," he wrote on Truth Social, in an unprecedented formulation that again underscores the alignment of the president with the authorities of the interim government of Delcy Rodríguez.
The Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, confirmed this Saturday that the Department of War acted “in full collaboration with Venezuelan security forces” and emphasized that the operation “reflects the shared commitment of the U.S. and Venezuela to combat drug terrorists and deny them any safe haven in our hemisphere.”
The commander of Southern Command, General Francis L. Donovan, was even more explicit: “We extend our gratitude to the Venezuelan security forces for their support of the successful joint operation”, he stated in an official statement.
This rapprochement between Washington and Caracas is the result of the radical shift that occurred following the capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026, in the so-called "Operation Absolute Resolution."
With Maduro detained and transferred to the United States, Delcy Rodríguez took control of the Venezuelan government and quickly opened a dialogue channel with the Trump administration focused on energy cooperation and security.
On January 14, Rodríguez confirmed a "long, productive, and courteous" phone conversation with Trump regarding bilateral matters.
On March 4, Trump publicly praised Rodríguez by stating that she was "doing a good job" and that Venezuelan oil "is starting to flow," while Rodríguez thanked him for his "kind willingness" to work together.
On March 24, Rodríguez announced the sending of Venezuelan diplomats to Washington to formalize the new bilateral phase, and on May 28, it was reported that the Trump administration ordered to halt criminal investigations against Rodríguez in Miami as part of that rapprochement strategy.
Trump presented the elimination of Niño Guerrero as the fulfillment of a campaign promise and as retribution for the crimes committed by the gang on U.S. soil, specifically mentioning Jocelyn Nungaray, 12 years old, who was found dead in Houston in June 2024, and Laken Riley, 22 years old, murdered in Georgia in February 2024.
Guerrero Flores was wanted by the Department of Justice, which had formally charged him in December 2025 before a federal court in New York with conspiracy to commit extortion, supporting terrorist activities, and drug trafficking. The Department of State had offered a reward of 5 million dollars since July 2025.
"The terrorists of the Tren de Aragua no longer have a safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else, and under my leadership, we will find these murderers and drug lords at any time, in any place, and send them to the depths of hell where they belong," warned Trump.
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