ICE under fire for allegedly deporting people identified by Jordans, tattoos, and Nike gear
Once again, ICE has sparked controversy, this time through its troubling alleged actions under President Donald Trump. Following the release of a video titled ASMR: Illegal Alien Deportation Flight, which attempts to depict real-life deportations as ASMR entertainment, the agency has taken insensitivity to an entirely new level.
Now, ICE is back on the headlines, as reports have surfaced accusing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement of using Nike apparel and tattoos to wrongfully associate individuals with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
It looks like ICE was given a quota and a deadline for Venezuelan gang members and filled it by picking up people with tattoos. Rose, hummingbird, soccer, mother, Autism awareness. For that people are taken from their families and sent to spend the rest of their lives in…
— Timothy Snyder (@TimothyDSnyder) March 27, 2025
According to a legal filing by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ICE has allegedly linked items like Chicago Bulls jerseys, Air Jordan footwear, and even tattoos to identify people as suspected gang members. This practice has drawn criticism, particularly as ICE continues to deport hundreds of individuals under the Trump administration’s harsh deportation policies.
The ACLU’s filing references a document, the “Alien Enemy Validation Guide,” that claims such attire and tattoos are commonly associated with gang membership. However, experts like Ronna Risquez who spoke to NBC News, an authority on the Tren de Aragua gang, have pointed out that tattoos aren’t always indicative of gang affiliation within Venezuelan gangs, and that individuals can belong to these groups without having any tattoos.
🧵In a new court filing, the @ACLU says they found a document (pictured below) that they believe the Trump administration is using to identify and deport Venezuelan gang members under the Alien Enemies Act. The ACLU is asking the court to stop the government from deporting… pic.twitter.com/nQDxDBYxcS
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) April 2, 2025
one of the guys ICE is claiming is a gang member is a former soccer player with no criminal record. their proof? a Real Madrid tattoo and a photo of the guy doing a rock-and-roll hand gesture pic.twitter.com/UoXCloViYp
— manny (@mannyfidel) March 20, 2025
In a particularly alarming case, ICE deported a man named Neri Alvarado based on a tattoo that was mistakenly interpreted as a gang symbol. The tattoo, an autism awareness ribbon with his brother’s name on it, led to his deportation to a mega-prison in El Salvador, where an ICE agent reportedly said, “You’re here because of your tattoos.”
Another recent case is the deportation of a gay makeup artist named Andry José Hernández Romero, who was also sent to El Salvador under similar circumstances. Andry’s ‘offence’? Having the wrong tattoos. Despite the personal significance of his tattoos, ICE wrongfully linked them to gang affiliations, showing just how easily individuals can be swept up in the system due to misguided and flawed identification methods.
The man in the first paragraph sobbing as he’s beaten by Salvadoran prison guards appears to be Andry, a gay barber/makeup artist who entered the U.S. legally at a port of entry seeking asylum and who ICE seems to have falsely accused of gang membership based on his tattoos. https://t.co/Rg6cymgHg2 pic.twitter.com/NT2ty8bDK0
— Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (@ReichlinMelnick) March 23, 2025
This troubling pattern has not gone unnoticed. The Guardian conducted an in-depth investigation into the extreme and often unjust methods being used in these deportations. One US judge even stated that “Nazis had more rights than Venezuelan migrants to contest removal,” highlighting the stark contrast in the treatment of these individuals compared to others with far more controversial backgrounds.
As the scandal unfolds, it’s becoming increasingly clear that ICE’s actions are spiralling out of control. Whether it’s the wrongful deportations, the reckless use of clothing and tattoos to label people as gang members, or the shocking attempt to turn deportation into a form of entertainment, ICE’s methods are raising serious alarms.
