Venezuelan Migrants Reportedly Identified as Gang Members Due to Their Tattoos
# Venezuelan Migrants Face Deportation and Detention Over Tattoos
A growing number of Venezuelan migrants in the United States are being detained or deported based on their tattoos, according to lawyers representing the affected individuals. Some have reportedly been sent to a mega-prison in El Salvador after being accused of gang affiliation—claims that legal representatives and experts argue are unfounded.
## The Use of the Alien Enemies Act for Deportations
On March 15, the Trump administration activated the **Alien Enemies Act (AEA)**—a rarely used law dating back to 1789. This law grants the U.S. president the authority to deport or detain immigrants from enemy nations during a declared war. Hundreds of Venezuelan migrants were subsequently deported under this decree, transported to a notoriously harsh prison in El Salvador.
The decision to invoke this law has sparked legal and ethical concerns, with critics pointing out that the last significant use of the AEA was during World War II, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt labeled Japanese, Italian, and German Americans as “alien enemies.”
## Tattoos as a Basis for Deportation
Many of the Venezuelan migrants now trapped in El Salvador report that they were targeted for deportation due to tattoos that authorities claim are linked to the Venezuelan gang **Tren de Aragua**. The Trump administration officially designated this gang a “foreign terrorist organization,” alongside the infamous Mara Salvatrucha (**MS-13**).
According to **law enforcement agencies**, certain symbols—such as stars, crowns, roses, trains, and felines—are allegedly used as identifiers for Tren de Aragua members. However, experts and lawyers counter that Venezuelan gang members are **not** traditionally identified by tattoos, unlike MS-13, whose members often use body art to display affiliation.
In some cases, detained migrants claim they have never been involved in criminal activity. Their tattoos, they argue, have personal or artistic significance rather than gang affiliation.
## Legal Challenges and Human Rights Concerns
### Case of J.G.G.—A Tattoo Artist Wrongfully Detained
One court filing from March 15, obtained by *Hyperallergic*, describes the case of a detained Venezuelan asylum seeker known as **J.G.G.** A professional tattoo artist who had been living in **Pittsburg, California**, J.G.G. was attending an immigration interview when he was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (**ICE**). Officers questioned him about a **rose, eye, and skull tattoo** on his leg.
In a sworn affidavit, **J.G.G. explained that his tattoos were not gang-related**. He stated they were part of a cover-up for an older tattoo he no longer wanted. He denied any association with Tren de Aragua and emphasized that he had never been convicted of any crime.
> “The sole reason ICE claims I am a Tren de Aragua member is because of my tattoos,” he declared in court.
J.G.G. also expressed fears of returning to Venezuela, where he had previously been **detained, tortured, and beaten** by police because of his political opinions and family connections to a known dissident.
### Another Migrant Targeted for a Crown Tattoo
Another lawyer, **Austin Thierry**, shared the case of his Venezuelan client who was suspected of gang ties due to a crown tattoo. However, his client stated that the **tattoo was a tribute to his late grandmother**, with her date of death inscribed at its base.
> “This crown is not related to Tren de Aragua,” Thierry explained to *ABC News*.
## ICE’s Justification for Deportations
Court documents indicate that **many of the deported migrants had no criminal records within the U.S.** Despite this, ICE officials defended their actions, asserting that they relied on **investigative techniques beyond tattoos**, such as social media posts and other behavioral indicators.
ICE Acting Field Office Director **Robert Cerna** claimed:
> “ICE did not simply rely on social media posts, photographs of the alien displaying gang-related hand gestures, or tattoos alone.”
Despite these assurances, lawyers and activists remain skeptical. Many fear that such investigative methods are arbitrary, lacking the kind of due process necessary to justify the drastic punishment of deportation and imprisonment.
## The Fallout and International Backlash
The decision to deport Venezuelan migrants to **El Salvador’s mega-prison**—notorious for alleged **human rights abuses**—has drawn condemnation from legal experts and human rights organizations. Many of the deportees now face **lengthy imprisonment without trial, in dangerous conditions**.
Furthermore, the administration’s purported **failure to comply with a judge’s order** to halt deportation flights has fueled concerns over legal overreach and lack of accountability.
## Conclusion
The deportation of Venezuelan migrants under the Alien Enemies Act, based largely on tattoos, raises troubling questions about **racial profiling, human rights, and immigration law enforcement**. While