[HIGHLIGHTS] Senator Marco Rubio asks that the Tren de Aragua be designated as a transnational criminal organization: "It is a particularly cruel gang"

Marco Rubio: Gang "specializes in extortion, kidnapping, rape, murder," among other crimes. The Aragua Train, considered the largest criminal organization in Venezuela, is once again in the news in the United States.

"This is a vicious gang. They initially established themselves in the prisons of Venezuela, but then they became endemic in Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Bolivia and Brazil," Rubio says. The Chilean Government announced Thursday that it will call its ambassador in Venezuela for consultations, in which he denied the existence of the Tren de Araguan.. The Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Yván Gil, in recent statements denied theexistence of the Araguas Train, which he called an "organized gang" and a "criminal organization" and said it had no connection to his country's economy. The U.S. State Department says it is working closely with Rubio on his request to designate the gang as a transnational criminal organization, and will give periodic updates on the issue.