Trump says recent Venezuelan deportees are gang members. Evidence is thin. | The Excerpt
On Saturday’s episode of The Excerpt podcast: Paste BN National Correspondent Trevor Hughes takes a closer look at the Trump administration's claims that recent Venezuelan deportees are tied to the prison gang Tren de Aragua. President Donald Trump demands that Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and the high court rein in federal judges who have issued injunctions that have impeded his policies. Plus, how secrecy sits at the center of Trump's clash with courts. Federal employees who work at a tiny agency that funds the nation's libraries and museums expect to be put on administrative leave. Paste BN Congress Reporter Riley Beggin talks about angry constituents who met lawmakers at recent local town hall meetings. George Foreman has died at 76.
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Taylor Wilson:
Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson, and today is Saturday, March 22nd, 2025. This is The Excerpt.
Today, taking a look at the Trump administration's claims over recent deportees and their alleged gang ties. Plus, how angry constituents flooded some recent town hall meetings. And, we remember George Foreman.
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There's little evidence to support the Trump administration's contention that large numbers of recent Venezuelan deportees are members of the violent prison gang, Tren de Aragua. Instead, family members and advocates say officials are rounding up members of an entire nationality without regard for their rights. I spoke with Paste BN National correspondent, Trevor Hughes, to learn more.
Trevor, thank you so much for hopping back on.
Trevor Hughes:
Good to be here.
Taylor Wilson:
So just starting with this, Trevor. I think this has been in the news a lot in recent weeks, but folks are, I think, still not fully aware of what this gang is. So what is the Tren de Aragua gang? Can you just give us an explainer?
Trevor Hughes:
It's not surprising a lot of folks haven't heard about it, because we've been working on this and we really didn't hear about this before a year and a half, two years ago, maybe. It traces its beginnings to Venezuelan prisons. And Trump administration officials say that as the Biden administration essentially permitted thousands and thousands of Venezuelans to cross the border and seek asylum, many of those people are affiliated with or are members of this prison gang, TDA, and that they've moved into drug trafficking, maybe even moving people.
President Trump repeatedly singled out a apartment complex here near where I live in Colorado that he said had been essentially taken over by the TDA. There were these very frightening videos of people with rifles going up to doors, banging on doors, essentially trying to extract protection payments or money payments. That's what we were told.
Taylor Wilson:
All right. So in terms of these hundreds of deportees who got sent to El Salvador, Trevor, what does Trump or his administration say about them and their alleged ties to this gang, and really, what evidence, if any, have they presented on this?
Trevor Hughes:
I think it's important to start off with the contention from the Trump administration that these are dangerous people and that the United States is safer off with these people gone. Our reporting has shown that of the hundreds of people that have been sent to the El Salvador prison, there is almost no evidence of gang activity. We have talked to family members, we have tracked down histories of about 50 of these people, at least, and we haven't seen any strong evidence that these are gang members, even though the Trump administration promises that they are. Unfortunately we just haven't seen the evidence, and the administration declines to produce that evidence.
Taylor Wilson:
And Trevor, we've heard that some folks were taken aside really just on the basis of their tattoos. Is that correct? I mean, what can you tell us about that aspect?
Trevor Hughes:
Part of the challenge is that, again, the Trump administration is not providing specific details about who is chosen for these lists of deportation. What we have heard from the family members and attorneys of the people who have been sent is that they were told by ICE agents, by Homeland Security, that there was a tattoo that raised concern, that that showed some sort of connection with gang activity. One of those tattoos, for instance, is essentially the logo of Real Madrid, which is a professional soccer team, and the guy who had it was a professional soccer player.
Taylor Wilson:
Wow. So we heard these claims from Trump on the campaign trail about tren de Aragua members taking over US cities. What do you hear, Trevor, on the local law enforcement level about this gang and whether those claims have any accuracy to them?
Trevor Hughes:
We have been working our sources, calling police departments, and I got to tell you, we have not heard from local police departments that this gang presents anything other than a routine level of concern that other folks have. I live maybe five miles from the site of what the administration says was an illegal TDA nightclub. They arrested something like 40 people. The local sheriff's office, my sheriff's office, says they have never recorded a single instance of a gang member in our community.
So it raised a lot of questions about what are the criteria. And it's possible that the federal government has this evidence, but they're just not sharing it. And what we do know, what we can prove, is that there is no strong evidence from local police departments that these gangs have taken over any communities.
Taylor Wilson:
Well, on that note, Trevor, of the government not revealing any of this evidence, we know that this is now moving through the courts. Government officials are really shying away from giving any details of these specific deportations in court. Can you just help update what the latest is here and how the government is playing this in court?
Trevor Hughes:
Essentially, what's going on is that the government is citing national security concerns to say we're not going to produce this evidence that we have because to do so would reveal security methods or systems or reveal evidence that we just don't want to give out for national security purposes. Judges have become increasingly frustrated with that response. There are ways to file this information in secret. You could file it under seal. There are ways that the government could provide this information to federal judges, and so far they have declined to do so.
The greater issue, when we step back, is especially for these migrants who have come to America. They fled repressive governments, and many of those governments have a long history of what's known as disappearing people; folks being caught up off the street, no charges, no evidence, just disappeared, never to be heard from again. And so the actions of this administration is really spreading a lot of fear within those communities, because we interviewed one woman who said, "We came to the United States because it is a nation of laws. People play by the rules here." And now they are reconsidering whether they want to stay in America. Which, if you listen to President Trump's administration, is kind of the point, right? They want people to leave. They want people to feel unwelcome here.
Taylor Wilson:
This is another really important piece from you, Trevor. Folks can find the full version with a link in today's show notes. Trevor Hughes is a national correspondent with Paste BN. Thank you, Trevor.
Trevor Hughes:
Good to be here.
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Taylor Wilson:
President Donald Trump this week demanded that Chief Justice John Roberts and the Supreme Court rein in federal judges who have issued injunctions around the country that have impeded a number of his policies. He wrote as much in a Truth Social post on Thursday. The post resumes a clash between the leaders of two of America's three branches of government amid escalating attacks by Republicans on federal judges who have determined some of Trump's early actions in his second term have been unconstitutional. In general, Trump officials have asked federal courts to trust them in their legal fights about a government overhaul, but judges want more information. You can read more on that with a link in today's show notes.
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Federal employees who work at a tiny agency that funds the nation's libraries and museums expect to be put on administrative leave in the next few days, less than a week after President Donald Trump ordered the agency to be effectively shuttered. AFGE Local 3403, a branch of the American Federation of Government Employees, said in a statement that the Institute of Museum and Library Services received new leadership from the Trump administration on Thursday. The union said it expected most employees would be placed on administrative leave over the weekend or on Monday. The Institute of Museum and Library Services distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in congressionally-approved funds to state libraries in all 50 states and Washington DC, and a library, museum, and archives programs through grants. It serves 35,000 museums and 123,000 libraries across the country, according to its website.
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At town halls nationwide, lawmakers of both parties are being confronted with angry constituents over various parts of the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency. I spoke with Paste BN Congress reporter Riley Beggin for more.
Hello, Riley.
Riley Beggin:
Hello.
Taylor Wilson:
Thanks for hopping on on this, Riley. So as Democratic lawmakers were back visiting their districts, you write that they faced voters demanding answers, really, on what the party is doing to stand up to Trump. What are some of the things you're hearing specifically?
Riley Beggin:
We are seeing this at town halls across the country, which I think is really interesting, because the headline-grabbing town halls so far have really been for Republican lawmakers, which I'm sure we'll talk about as well. But the big through-line that we're seeing is Democratic constituents going to their lawmakers and really demanding more from the Democrats and Congress, demanding that they are louder, that they stand up, that they act in a way that reflects that this moment is not normal. That's something that I have been hearing repeatedly. Democratic lawmakers are trying to field those questions, trying to explain some of their limitations in the minority, and facing a lot of pushback.
Taylor Wilson:
Yeah. I mean, how do they explain some of those limitations, Riley? Is it just about the numbers game in Congress right now?
Riley Beggin:
Yeah. I mean, the reality is that Democrats are in the minority in the House and Senate. Republicans control the White House, but constituents have noticed, and of course are right, that there is not a filibuster-proof majority for Republicans in the Senate. So there's at least some leverage from Democrats in the Senate. And I think that constituents are also saying that they want to see something different even from messaging and from the unity that you might see in the Democratic Party or they hope to see more of from the Democratic Party.
Taylor Wilson:
Well, several Democratic Senators joined with Republicans to pass that GOP-led government funding extension and avoid a shutdown earlier this month. Riley, how is that landing with Democratic voters?
Riley Beggin:
That's really something that has amped up the pressure on Democrats. Democratic Leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer was the first Democrat in the Senate to really come out and say, "I am going to vote for this GOP-led bill." Of course, there's John Fetterman from Pennsylvania, but Chuck Schumer as the leader made a huge difference in making it possible for other Democrats to follow in his stead and pass that bill.
Schumer immediately faced pushback from the Democratic base. People were encouraging Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to primary him in a few years when he's up for re-election. I will say I think it's pretty unlikely. Within the Senate Democratic Conference, he has a lot of support, but the pushback from the Democratic base has definitely been strong.
Taylor Wilson:
Well, as for Republicans in their districts, Riley, are they facing any similar questions, and are they even holding town hall events in person at this point?
Riley Beggin:
This last week was, for House members, the second real recess, week-long break back in their districts for Republicans. In their first recess, they had a meeting in Miami, which we talked about way back then. So it's really in that first recess we saw, I think a lot of people were surprised to see the way that people poured in, packed those town halls for Republicans, and were screaming at the lawmakers, pushing back on DOGE and some of the changes have been happening to the federal government under the new administration.
So after that week, the leadership in the House suggested to House Republicans that they should not hold those town halls anymore. They've argued, without evidence, that those are paid protesters that are sent there by Democratic groups to cause a scene. I will say Democratic groups have definitely played a role in organizing people to go to those events. So they've been promoting the town halls. We don't have evidence that anyone is being paid to be there. So they've argued these voices aren't legitimate and we're going to figure out other ways to hear from constituents, like Tele-Town Halls or meeting with specific groups in their district.
But there have been a few lawmakers who did decide to go ahead and have town halls over this last break, and they definitely got an earful. There was Congressman Chuck Edwards from North Carolina who held a town hall in Asheville. He was booed and hissed during that town hall. Representative Mike Flood from Nebraska was shouted down during a town hall this last week. And Congresswoman Harriet Hageman from Wyoming also faced a lot of pushback at multiple town halls.
I will say that at a lot of these town halls, there are Republicans, of course, that are supporting the President's agenda, and there are Conservatives who support the overall agenda but have some concerns about DOGE. And of course there are people who support DOGE as well, but the loudest voices certainly are people that are frustrated with what's going on.
Taylor Wilson:
Riley Beggin covers Congress for Paste BN. Thank you, Riley.
Riley Beggin:
Thank you.
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Taylor Wilson:
After suffering a devastating loss in last November's elections, the Democratic Party is at an inflection point. Having lost the backing and trust of parts of the working-class, how does it move on from the political desert it finds itself in and reenergize its base? Amanda Litman, co-founder and co-executive director of Run for Something joins The Excerpt to share her take.
Amanda Litman:
There is a whole bench of talent of younger leaders who have governing experience. We need them and we need more like them to take on the national stage, because they both feel the fury. They understand that the Republican Party is not going to go back to the way it was before, because what it was before is dead.
Taylor Wilson:
You can hear that episode tomorrow, right here on this feed.
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George Foreman has died. The legendary boxer was a two-time world heavyweight champion and Olympic Gold medalist who was regarded as one of the hardest punchers in boxing history. He later became a preacher and businessman who sold millions of iconic George Foreman grills. He was 76.
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And thanks for listening to The Excerpt. You can get the podcast wherever you get your audio, and if you're on a smart speaker, just ask for The Excerpt. I'm Taylor Wilson, and I'll be back Monday with more of The Excerpt from Paste BN.