ICE Using Jordan Apparel and Tattoos to Identify Suspecte…

Homeland Security officials have been accused of linking Chicago Bulls, Air Jordan, and Nike clothing and tattoos to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, according to a document filed by ACLU lawyers last week,

The Trump administration has been focused on deporting or forcefully relocating anyone suspected of being part of the gang, with lawyers from the ACLU representing some of those who have been targeted. In the declaration filed last week, ACLU lawyers said that Homeland Security produced documents that various law enforcement agencies have been following in order to identify suspected gang members.

Identifiers listed in the documents include Jordan Brand sneakers and tattoos, and Chicago Bulls jerseys. In a document titled “Alien Enemy Validation Guide,” authorities were told that alleged gang members “favor the Chicago Bulls basketball jersey, specifically Michael Jordan jerseys with the number ’23’, and Jordan ‘Jump Man’ footwear.”

Tren de Aragua expert Ronna Risquez told NBC News last month that while Latin American gangs often use tattoos to signal membership, that’s not always the case with the Venezuelan gang. “To be a member of one of these Venezuelan organizations, you don’t need a tattoo,” she said. “You can have no tattoos and still be part of Tren de Aragua. You can also have a tattoo that matches other members of the organization.”

The list of apparent gang signifiers comes amid the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts, which have lacked discretion. As reported by Mother Jones, ICE deported Neri Alvarado to a notorious El Salvador mega-jail known as CECOT because of his tattoo, which is an autism awareness ribbon with his brother’s name on it. His boss, Juan Enrique Hernández said that an ICE agent told Alvarado, “You’re here because of your tattoos.”

Per NBC News, the U.S. government admitted that it accidentally deported another man, legal resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia, because of an “administrative error.” Despite admitting that it was a mistake, the government has no plans to bring him back to the United States. Abrego Garcia, who lives in Maryland with his wife and their autistic 5-year-old child, fled El Salvador in 2011 and is protected from being sent back to the country thanks to a 2019 court order, which the Trump administration ignored.

He has since filed a lawsuit calling for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to ensure his safe return to the U.S. Vice President JD Vance, in a tweet shared last week, falsely referred to Abrego Garcia as a “convicted MS-13 gang member,” even though he has no criminal convictions.