The group has been linked to human trafficking networks that move migrants north through Central America and Mexico, with stops in border cities like Tapachula and Tijuana - and eventual arrivals in U.

The sanctions target Tren de Aragua's leader Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, also known as Nino Guerrero and five other key leaders and affiliates of the criminal gang, the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control said. The State Department has designated Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization.