Trump’s Department of Homeland Security has accused Reuters of calling illegal gang members “Sob Story” after the outlet reported allegations of Tren de Aragua members forming the “SOS” sign at the Texas Detention Center.
DHS issued a statement Wednesday saying “the latest mainstream media attempts in the crime gang SOB stories include self-promotional members of Tren de Aragua,” saying “the previous administration had released gang members to the American community.”
Also known as “TDA,” Tren de Aragua is a brutal international crime group associated with Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro. The group has been linked to some of the most well-known immigration crime cases in recent years, including the murder of Georgia nursing student Laiken Riley and a seizure across an apartment in Aurora, Colorado. The Trump State Department has declared Tren de Aragua a “foreign terrorist organization.”
Reuters reported Wednesday that there were 31 suspected Venezuelan illegals and TDA members.
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Trump’s Department of Homeland Security has accused Reuters of calling illegal gang members “Sob Story” after the outlet reported allegations of Tren de Aragua members forming the “SOS” sign at the Texas Detention Center. (Trump Van Transition Team/DHS)
According to the outlet, the man at the facility was facing deportation and was set to be deported to El Salvador’s High Security Terrorist Confinement Centre (CECOT) before the judge’s ruling delayed its fate. Despite this, Reuters wrote that “detainees in Venezuela in Texas are afraid that the Trump administration will send them to El Salvador’s biggest security prison.”
The outlet identified two immigrants from the detention center as Diover Millan Leon, 24, and Jeferson Escalona Hernandez, 19.
Reuters also said Milan Leon’s wife was “deep” and “he sat down and looked at the sky and asked God to let him out of there immediately.”
The DHS opposed this characterization of the situation, identifying both men as confirmed members of Tren de Aragua.
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Reuters reported Wednesday that there were 31 suspected Venezuelan illegals and TDA members.
The statement said Escarona Hernandez was a “self-promoted Tren de Aragua member” who illegally entered the United States in 2024. The DHS said the Biden administration “released this gang member to our country,” and that he later avoided arrest with a vehicle and was arrested on a felony in Denton County, Texas.
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Meanwhile, the DHS said Milan Leon is a documented member of Tren de Aragua, who illegally entered the United States on an unknown date and location. The agency said that the U.S. Border Patrol arrested Milan Leon near Brownsville, Texas on May 3, 2023, but he appeared on his own recognition and was given notice of release. Almost two years later, an ice officer operating under the Trump administration arrested Milan Leon of Lawrenceville, Georgia on March 12, 2025.
Commenting on the story, Deputy Chief Tricia McLaughlin said, “Tren de Aragua is one of the most violent and ruthless gangs on the planet,” adding, “they are raped, mime, murdered for sports.”
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Members of the Tren de Aragua Gang in Venezuela and the MS-13 Gang. He was deported to El Salvador by the United States in Salvador, El Salvador on March 31, 2025.
“The previous administration released these gang members to our community,” she continued. “President Trump and Secretary Noem have finished their catch and released and will not allow criminal gangs to terrorize American citizens.”
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McLaughlin called the Reuters report “irresponsible” and asked, “Why do they continue to sell the sob stories of these gang members, but continue to ignore American victims?”
Fox News Digital reached out to Reuters for comment but did not immediately respond.
Peter Pinedo is a political writer for Fox News Digital.
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