Story details
Tattoos treated as gang evidence
Tattoos, clothing, or photos were cited as evidence of gang membership.
Documented in 10 states. Every well-documented story coded this way, grouped by state. See what accompanies it →
California
Florida
Hawaii
Illinois
Maryland
Oregon
Texas
Miguel Angel P.: US citizen detained by ICE agents after mistaken identityMiguel Angel Torres, a cook and 14-year Austin resident, was detained in 2017 after agents searching for his brother-in-law mistook him for the wrong person, leading his family to abandon their home and food truck plans.Navasota, TX · Jul 29, 2025 · Newsweek, FOX 26 Houston, Texas Tribune
Carlos U.: Venezuelan miner flown to CECOT prison instead of home, held four monthsA miner and cook from Venezuela who asked to be sent home was flown to El Salvador's CECOT prison, where he says guards beat him. He was freed after four months.“Todo ha sido demasiado difícil. El hecho de no saber de él, de no hablar con él, de no verlo aunque sea por videollamadas, pues es una angustia completa todos los días” — Gabriela Mora, su esposaRaymondville, TX · Jul 23, 2025 · El Diario, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian
Pedro Luis S.C.: 28-year-old Venezuelan migrant deported to El Salvador prison over a photoPedro Luis Salazar-Cuervo, 28, a Venezuelan migrant with no criminal record, was deported to a maximum security prison in El Salvador over a photo wrongly tied to gang activity.Maverick County, TX · Jun 18, 2025 · Texas Tribune, Reuters, U.S. News & World Report
Kevin Z.R.: Salvadoran man with work permit held nearly a month by ICEKevin Zaldaña Ramirez, 20, has supported his visually impaired mother since age 16 under a special juvenile work permit, but was detained after a traffic stop and held for weeks.Fresno, TX · Mar 19, 2025 · Houston Public Media, FOX 26 Houston
Neri A.B.: Venezuelan asylum seeker deported to El Salvador prison over tattooNeri Jose Alvarado Borges, a bakery worker with an autism-awareness tattoo honoring his brother, was sent to El Salvador's CECOT despite holding asylum papers.“If someone fell to the floor, they (the guards) will kick you repeatedly on the ground before you could get up. About 20 to 30 times. For about anything they would beat you up.” — Neri AlvaradoLewisville, TX · Mar 15, 2025 · NBC News, NBC DFW, Spectrum Local News
Andry B.B.: Food delivery driver detained by ICE, beaten four months in Salvadoran prisonAndry Omar Blanco Bonilla, 40, a food delivery driver and father of seven, endured four months of beatings at El Salvador's CECOT prison after agents questioned him about tattoos he says represent his family.Dallas, TX · Mar 15, 2025 · CBS News, CourtListener, The Guardian
Neiyerver L.R.: Venezuelan man disappears from ICE custody, whereabouts unknownNeiyerver Adrian Leon Rengel, a 27-year-old Venezuelan man detained in Texas over his tattoos, vanished from ICE's tracking system days later and has not been found in Venezuela or on deportee lists.Irving, TX · Mar 13, 2025 · Miami Herald, Spokesman-Review, CourtListener
Jose Daniel S.: Construction worker held in isolation at Guantanamo before being deportedA 30-year-old Venezuelan construction worker was sent to Guantanamo Bay with his wife nearby, held 15 days in poor conditions, then deported to Honduras after nine months in custody.El Paso, TX · Feb 20, 2025 · ProPublica, BBC, La Nación +1- Jeferson E.: Venezuelan former police officer deported to El Salvador prison despite court orderJeferson Escalona, 19, a former Venezuelan police officer, was deported to El Salvador's CECOT prison in late March 2025 despite a judge's order barring such removals, after denying gang ties alleged from hand-gesture photos.Anson, TX · Jan 2025 · Hindustan Times, ABC News
Utah
Washington
Wisconsin
Location not tied to one state
John T.: Venezuelan singer moved by ICE to Indiana detention facilityVenezuelan singer and rapper John Theis was detained by ICE on Aug. 22, 2026, and later moved by private flight to an Indiana detention facility. His wife and music industry colleagues launched a campaign calling for his release.Aug 23, 2026 · Nashville Noticias, Meridiano
Andry H.R.: Gay asylum seeker deported to El Salvador prison, held over four monthsAndry Hernández Romero, a gay Venezuelan makeup artist seeking asylum, was deported to a maximum security prison in El Salvador over disputed tattoos. Released in a prisoner swap, he now seeks asylum in Spain.Tecoluca, El Salvador · May 22, 2026 · The Advocate, Acast, Q Notes +9
Luis M.P.: Venezuelan student deported to Salvadoran prison over tattoosLuis Muñoz Pinto, a 27-year-old Venezuelan who had been studying robotics engineering, was detained during a scheduled Customs and Border Protection appointment under the CBP One program and deported to El Salvador's CECOT prison in March 2025.Mar 3, 2026 · The Guardian, Prime Publishers, Miami New Times +4
Leonardo C.S.: Venezuelan soccer coach detained by CBP, tortured in El Salvador prisonLeonardo José Colmenares Solórzano, a 31-year-old former youth soccer coach with no criminal history, was deported to El Salvador's CECOT prison in March 2025, where he says guards tortured him. He returned to Venezuela in July in a prisoner swap.Jul 18, 2025 · ProPublica, Firstpost, U.S. News & World Report +4
Jerce R.B.: Venezuelan soccer player deported to El Salvador over tattooJerce Reyes Barrios, a 36-year-old Venezuelan soccer player and father of two, was deported to El Salvador's CECOT prison. His attorney says the only evidence against him was a soccer-ball tattoo and old Facebook photos.Mar 27, 2025 · NPR, Times of India, Newsweek +2
Francisco José G.C.: Venezuelan barber deported to El Salvador's mega-prisonFrancisco García, a barber who fled Venezuela's crisis and crossed into the US in 2023, was deported under a wartime law to El Salvador's CECOT despite his mother's insistence he is not a gang member.Mar 15, 2025 · BBC, The Guardian, lulac.org
José Manuel R.B.: Venezuelan father sent to El Salvador prison over tattoosJosé Manuel Ramos Bastidas, who crossed legally to pay for his baby's asthma care, was deported not to Venezuela as promised but to El Salvador's CECOT prison over his tattoos.TX · Mar 15, 2025 · Texas Tribune, ProPublica, El País +2
Jhoan B.: 25-year-old Venezuelan held 16 days at Guantanamo, then deported homeJhoan Bastidas, 25, was held 16 days at Guantanamo Bay, shackled with limited sunlight and food, before deportation to Venezuela. He now works at a hot dog stand in Maracaibo.Mar 5, 2025 · CNN, The Columbian, The Canadian Press +1
Franco C.T.: Asylum seeker detained at ICE check-in, deported to Salvadoran prison without noticeFranco Jose Caraballo Tiapa, a 26-year-old Venezuelan barber seeking asylum, was detained at a routine ICE check-in and deported to El Salvador's CECOT prison without notifying his family or lawyers.Feb 3, 2025 · CBS News, Woke Dissident, Yaracuy al Día