The New York Times report on what the administration did….
The Trump administration sent them to a prison in El Salvador under a wartime act, calling them members of a Venezuelan gang. But a New York Times investigation found little evidence of criminal backgrounds or links to the gang.
(What a joke):
“In an interview, Mr. Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, said tattoos were just one factor used to determine if an individual was a member of Tren de Aragua.
“I don’t say it’s a major factor,” he said, “it’s one of many.”
But an internal government document made public in court filings indicates how much weight is given to tattoos.
The document, called the “Alien Enemy Validation Guide,” instructs immigration officials to use a point system to identify members of Tren de Aragua. Eight points makes someone a “validated” member of the group. Having tattoos associated with the gang is worth four points.
Wearing clothing associated with the gang is worth another four.
A second government document indicates that the administration considers a crown tattoo — much like the one worn by soccer star Lionel Messi — and the “Jump Man” symbol, popularized by Michael Jordan, to be Tren de Aragua symbols.
Clothing associated with the gang includes “high-end urban street wear.”
In interviews, five Venezuelan experts on Tren de Aragua — two police officials, two scholars and a journalist — told The Times that while some transnational gangs use tattoos as indicators of membership, the Venezuelan group did not.
“In the case of the Tren de Aragua,” said Luis Izquiel, a professor of criminology at Venezuela’s Central University, “there is no common pattern of similar tattoos among its members.”
While many Tren de Aragua members have tattoos, experts said, so do many young Venezuelan men.
Of the 30 men whose family members or lawyers spoke to the Times, at least 27 have tattoos.
Mr. Suárez has 33, said his family, reflecting his urban music aesthetic. They include one of his signature phrases, they said: “The future is bright.”
The Trump administration began to move dozens of detained Venezuelan men to facilities in Texas roughly two weeks before invoking the Alien Enemies Act.
On March 14 and 15, the men called their families to say that Americans officials had told them they were being deported back to Venezuela, according to dozens of interviews.
In Aragua state, in Venezuela, Mirelis Casique, the mother of Mr. García, the barber, rushed to fix up his room, applying new paint and hanging new curtains.
