The Trump administration says the group should be treated as an invading force. Critics say it’s a pretext for the administration’s anti-immigrant narrative.

CARACAS, Venezuela — Debates over President Trump’s hard-line migration policies are focused on the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, to some a ruthless transnational criminal organization and to others the pretext for an overhyped anti-migrant narrative.

The Trump administration has invoked a 227-year-old law, the Alien Enemies Act, to target Tren de Aragua, a gang with its roots in the prisons of Venezuela. Who are they and how wide is their reach?