Mother of Texas girl backs Trump military strike that killed alleged Tren de Aragua members

The mother of a 12-year-old Houston girl who was allegedly killed by Venezuelan migrants in June 2024 voiced support for a recent U.S. military strike that the administration said killed 11 alleged members of the Tren de Aragua narco-terrorist group.

Alexis Nungaray, whose daughter Jocelyn Nungaray was found dead last summer, said in a video produced by The American Border Story that the strike demonstrates strength and urged continued action. "Taking down their drug boat [Tuesday] shows real strength, and I pray they keep going until every last one of these monsters is off our streets and out of our hemisphere," she said.

President Donald Trump announced the operation on Tuesday, saying U.S. forces killed 11 alleged Tren de Aragua narco-terrorists on a drug boat in the southern Caribbean. The administration framed the strike as part of continuing efforts to stop dangerous narcotics and transnational criminal actors from reaching U.S. shores. U.S. officials and outside observers have described Tren de Aragua, or TdA, as a Venezuelan criminal organization involved in kidnapping, extortion and drug trafficking.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro criticized the action, calling it a military "threat" off Venezuela, according to statements reported by the administration. The strike and Maduro's response highlight tensions between the United States and the Venezuelan government over the presence and activities of criminal groups operating in the region.

In the video produced by The American Border Story, a national initiative that documents the human impact of the U.S. border crisis, Nungaray described the moments after she began tracking her daughter's phone last June to a skate park two minutes from the family home. She said she was met by officers and crime scene tape. Authorities have said Jocelyn's death is under investigation and that suspects tied to the case are Venezuelan migrants; those allegations have not been litigated in public court records related to the current strike.

The White House has positioned the Caribbean operation as part of a broader campaign to disrupt transnational criminal networks and reduce the flow of illicit drugs toward the United States. The announcement follows months of heightened political focus on border security and cartel activity, a key issue in the administration's public messaging.

Family members and advocacy groups have used Jocelyn's killing to call for tougher measures against criminal organizations involved in migrant smuggling and drug trafficking. The U.S. military action drew support from some families affected by border violence and criticism from others who said it risked escalating tensions in the region.

Officials have not released detailed operational or intelligence material publicly about the Tuesday strike beyond the administration's summary that it targeted a drug-transporting vessel linked to Tren de Aragua. Investigations and any subsequent legal or diplomatic developments stemming from the strike and from the probe into Jocelyn Nungaray's death remain ongoing.