Latest news with #AlienEnemyValidationGuide
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Secret Trump Memo Tells ICE to Break into Homes Without Warrants
The Trump administration has secretly allowed immigration agents to invade homes without a warrant for over a month, according to a leaked internal memo. The memo, obtained by USA Today and issued by Attorney General Pam Bondi March 14, orders Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to break into the homes of suspected members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua without a warrant. It stated that ICE can curb the 'proactive procedures' put in place to obtain a warrant, since they 'will not always be realistic or effective in swiftly identifying and removing alien enemies.' 'Given the dynamic nature of enforcement operations, officers in the field are authorized to apprehend aliens upon a reasonable belief that the alien meets all four requirements to be validated as an alien enemy,' it read. It added: 'This authority includes entering an alien enemy's residence to make an [Aliens Enemies Act] apprehension where circumstances render it impracticable to first obtain a signed notice and warrant of apprehension and removal.' Attached to the memo was also a copy of the Alien Enemy Validation Guide, which provides a point system for determining whether or not a person is part of the Venezuelan gang and subject to removal. The next day, the administration deported more than 200 Venezuelans to El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center, CECOT, including the wrongfully deported Maryland dad Kilmar Abrego Garcia. This was in accordance with President Donald Trump's March 15 announcement that he would be invoking the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, an obscure wartime law meant to arrest and deport 'alien enemies' from an enemy nation during an invasion or war. The president's proclamation read: 'I proclaim that all Venezuelan citizens 14 years of age or older who are members of TdA, are within the United States, and are not actually naturalized or lawful permanent residents of the United States are liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as Alien Enemies.' 'I further find and declare that all such members of TdA are a danger to the public peace or safety of the United States,' he added. But since then, the administration has been apprehending and deporting immigrants who are not Venezuelan and have no criminal record to El Salvador's mega-prison. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other groups sued the administration earlier this month in an attempt to block any more deportations under the Alien Enemies Act. The ACLU's lead counsel in these cases, Lee Gelernt, told USA Today that the Justice Department has been violating the Fourth Amendment, which protects individuals from unreasonable search and seizures by the government. 'The administration's unprecedented use of a wartime authority during peacetime was bad enough,' he said. 'Now we find out the Justice Department was authorizing officers to ignore the most bedrock principle of the Fourth Amendment by authorizing officers to enter homes without a judicial warrant.' The Alien Enemies Act can only be invoked when there is a 'declared war between the United States and any foreign nation or government' or an 'invasion or predatory incursion … perpetrated, attempted, or threatened' against the country by a foreign nation. Many have argued that Trump's crackdown on immigration, regarding members of the Tren de Aragua gang, does not meet the act's requirements of 'war,' 'invasion,' or 'predatory incursion.' USA Today obtained the memo from the nonprofit Property of the People, which pursues 'governmental transparency.'
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Yahoo
ICE Is Using A Random British Guy's Tattoo To Identify TdA Gang Members
An example of a tattoo the Trump administration says identifies the wearer as a member of a violent Venezuelan gang was apparently lifted from a random British man who has no gang affiliation whatsoever. 'I'm just an average middle-aged man from Derbyshire,' Pete Belton told the BBC after the outlet linked a tattoo of a clock on Belton's elbow to the very same one in a Department of Homeland Security training manual. Rather than signify his predilection for violence, Belton, 44, said the tattoo commemorates the birth of his daughter, with the hour and minute hands pointing to the time of her delivery. The same image also appeared in a PowerPoint presentation prepared by the Texas Department of Public Safety in September 2024: Other examples provided in the document include tattoos of the iconic Michael Jordan silhouette, trains, stars and crowns. Last month, the Trump administration sent a professional soccer player named Jerce Reyes Barrios to a brutal prison in El Salvador allegedly based on a crown tattoo. Barrios' lawyer said the tattoo is merely an homage to the soccer club Real Madrid, which leans heavily on crown imagery. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have been instructed to identify members of Tren de Aragua using a points-based system, an 'Alien Enemy Validation Guide' obtained by the ACLU shows. Tattoos, such as the above, that purportedly 'denote loyalty' to TdA, count for 4 points. Other symbolism-based points can be assigned for wearing suspicious clothing (4 points), using suspicious hand signs (2 points) or posting TdA symbols on social media (2 points). Anyone scoring 8 points or higher is automatically considered a member of Tren de Aragua, while immigrants who score 6 or 7 points 'may be validated' as members ― but only after a conversation with the officer's supervisor. Belton insists he's no Venezuelan gangster. But he told the BBC he's nevertheless rethinking a planned family vacation to Miami this fall, fearing it could instead turn into an 'all-inclusive holiday to Guantanamo.' How his elbow ended up in a training manual to identify criminals in an entirely different part of the world remains unclear. The Department of Homeland Security didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. 'He's Not A Criminal': Mom Bereft After Spotting Son Among Alleged Venezuelan Gang Members Pro Soccer Player Expelled By Trump Over Tattoo Of His Favorite Team, Lawyer Says Even Joe Rogan Thinks This Aspect Of Trump's Deportation Policy Is 'Horrific' Supreme Court Orders Trump Administration To Help Bring Mistakenly Deported Man Back To U.S.
Saudi Gazette
11-04-2025
- Saudi Gazette
British man's tattoo wrongly linked to Venezuelan gang in US government document
WASHINGTON — A tattoo belonging to a man from Derbyshire has appeared in a US government document used to identify members of a notorious Venezuelan gang — despite the man having no connection to the group. Pete Belton, 44, from Ilkeston says he was shocked to find his forearm featured in a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) document used to help identify alleged members of Tren de Aragua (TdA), a transnational criminal organization. "I'm just an average middle-aged man from Derbyshire," he told BBC Verify. Belton said it was a "bit strange, bit funny at first" but is now worried the family trip he booked to Miami with his wife and daughter in August might end up "being a six month all-inclusive holiday to Guantanamo". The Trump administration has already deported hundreds of alleged gang members to a high-security jail El Salvador. Lawyers for some of those deportees say they have been incorrectly identified as TdA members based on their tattoos. Belton's tattoo — a clock face with the date and time of his daughter's birth — was included in a set of nine images for "detecting and identifying" TdA members. Other tattoos featured stars, crowns and a Michael Jordan "jumpman" logo."Open source material has depicted TdA members with a combination of the below tattoos," states the document which appeared in court reverse image searches show that several of the pictures first appeared on tattoo websites with no obvious links to Venezuela or of them led BBC Verify to an Instagram post by a Nottingham-based tattoo artist who posted about Belton's tattoo nearly a decade same image of Belton's tattoo also appeared in a September 2024 report by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) about TdA Verify contacted both the US DHS and the Texas DPS about the source of the images, but did not receive a in an email the DHS said it was confident in its law enforcement's intelligence and that its "assessments go well beyond just gang affiliate tattoos and social media."It's unclear exactly how Belton's tattoo ended up in the US documents, but he's worried about being linked to the gang."In my head I'm thinking if I'm working in border force and I saw me walking through I'd think 'hey up we've got one, he's the one in the document'."He provided multiple images of the tattoo to prove that it's his — and he says that he has no association to the Venezuelan US government hasn't deported anyone based on their tattoos alone, according to comments from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official in a court filing last court documents show immigration officials are employing a points-based system known as the "Alien Enemy Validation Guide" to determine if someone is linked to the Venezuelan includes a scorecard, and according to the document, eight points across a number of categories could be grounds for arrest or of these points can be given if a "subject has tattoos denoting membership or loyalty to TdA".The document says if all eight points come from the symbolism category, which includes tattoos, then further consultation should be taken before designating someone as a member of investigative journalist Ronna Risquez, who wrote a book on TdA's origins, said tattoos alone are not evidence of membership."TdA does not have tattoos that identifies the gang," she said."To confirm whether a person is a member of TdA, authorities must conduct a police investigation to determine whether they have a criminal record. A tattoo, their clothing, or their nationality are not proof."However, there have been cases where lawyers have argued that people have been wrongfully identified based on their tattoos and were subsequently media have reported on a man who's lawyers say was deported because of a crown tattoo which was inspired by the Real Madrid football club case saw a makeup artist was sent to El Salvador after his a crown tattoo with the words "mum" and "dad" was used by US officials as evidence for gang membership, according to his in Derbyshire, Belton says his family have considered cancelling their trip to the US due to the potential risks, but they are going to monitor how the story develops."Hopefully now they'd realise I'm not a Venezuelan gangster but I've seen crazier things happen in the news recently, so we're just going to wait and see." — BBC
Saudi Gazette
11-04-2025
- Saudi Gazette
British man's tattoo wrongly linked to Venezuelan gang in US government document
WASHINGTON — A tattoo belonging to a man from Derbyshire has appeared in a US government document used to identify members of a notorious Venezuelan gang — despite the man having no connection to the group. Pete Belton, 44, from Ilkeston says he was shocked to find his forearm featured in a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) document used to help identify alleged members of Tren de Aragua (TdA), a transnational criminal organization. "I'm just an average middle-aged man from Derbyshire," he told BBC Verify. Belton said it was a "bit strange, bit funny at first" but is now worried the family trip he booked to Miami with his wife and daughter in August might end up "being a six month all-inclusive holiday to Guantanamo". The Trump administration has already deported hundreds of alleged gang members to a high-security jail El Salvador. Lawyers for some of those deportees say they have been incorrectly identified as TdA members based on their tattoos. Belton's tattoo — a clock face with the date and time of his daughter's birth — was included in a set of nine images for "detecting and identifying" TdA members. Other tattoos featured stars, crowns and a Michael Jordan "jumpman" logo."Open source material has depicted TdA members with a combination of the below tattoos," states the document which appeared in court reverse image searches show that several of the pictures first appeared on tattoo websites with no obvious links to Venezuela or of them led BBC Verify to an Instagram post by a Nottingham-based tattoo artist who posted about Belton's tattoo nearly a decade same image of Belton's tattoo also appeared in a September 2024 report by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) about TdA Verify contacted both the US DHS and the Texas DPS about the source of the images, but did not receive a in an email the DHS said it was confident in its law enforcement's intelligence and that its "assessments go well beyond just gang affiliate tattoos and social media."It's unclear exactly how Belton's tattoo ended up in the US documents, but he's worried about being linked to the gang."In my head I'm thinking if I'm working in border force and I saw me walking through I'd think 'hey up we've got one, he's the one in the document'."He provided multiple images of the tattoo to prove that it's his — and he says that he has no association to the Venezuelan US government hasn't deported anyone based on their tattoos alone, according to comments from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official in a court filing last court documents show immigration officials are employing a points-based system known as the "Alien Enemy Validation Guide" to determine if someone is linked to the Venezuelan includes a scorecard, and according to the document, eight points across a number of categories could be grounds for arrest or of these points can be given if a "subject has tattoos denoting membership or loyalty to TdA".The document says if all eight points come from the symbolism category, which includes tattoos, then further consultation should be taken before designating someone as a member of investigative journalist Ronna Risquez, who wrote a book on TdA's origins, said tattoos alone are not evidence of membership."TdA does not have tattoos that identifies the gang," she said."To confirm whether a person is a member of TdA, authorities must conduct a police investigation to determine whether they have a criminal record. A tattoo, their clothing, or their nationality are not proof."However, there have been cases where lawyers have argued that people have been wrongfully identified based on their tattoos and were subsequently media have reported on a man who's lawyers say was deported because of a crown tattoo which was inspired by the Real Madrid football club case saw a makeup artist was sent to El Salvador after his a crown tattoo with the words "mum" and "dad" was used by US officials as evidence for gang membership, according to his in Derbyshire, Belton says his family have considered cancelling their trip to the US due to the potential risks, but they are going to monitor how the story develops."Hopefully now they'd realise I'm not a Venezuelan gangster but I've seen crazier things happen in the news recently, so we're just going to wait and see." — BBC
Boston Globe
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
After SCOTUS ruling, new battle begins in Trump's war on Venezuelan immigrants
The administration claims that the Alien Enemies Act, a law passed in 1798 that gives the president expanded powers to detain or expel foreign 'enemy' nationals, empowered President Trump to sign an order directing the swift deportation of members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Advertisement But, the immigrants' attorneys argue, even if the detained immigrants were members of the TdA — a claim they deny — the law does not give Trump the powers he thinks it does. Advertisement First, the complaints allege, the law is directed at members of foreign nations, not organized crime rings. The Venezuelan gang is not a nation, nor is it sponsored by the Venezuelan government. Further, the New York lawsuit claims, even if the gang was controlled by the Venezuelan government, the United States is not at war with Venezuela, so the act would still be inapplicable. But the threat the order poses to immigrants who have already been or may soon be detained — identified by questionable means — is urgent, the complaint alleges. '[T]he government employs a standardized check list, 'Alien Enemy Validation Guide,' to determine who is an 'alien enemy' subject to the Proclamation,' the New York complaint states. The 'Proclamation' refers to the executive order authorizing the detentions under the wartime law. 'An ICE officer completes the form, tallying points for different categories of alleged TdA membership characteristics,' according to the complaint. 'However, the methodology that Respondents employs for TdA membership relies heavily on physical attributes like tattoos, hand gestures, symbols, logos, graffiti, and manner of dress. Experts who study the TdA have explained how none of these physical attributes are reliable ways of identifying gang members.' And despite the Supreme Court's ruling underscoring that all people who have been detained are entitled to due process, which includes proper notice and judicial review, they are not getting it, the ACLU attorneys said. '[T]here is no process, notice or meaningful opportunity for individuals to challenge their designation as alien enemies,' the complaint states. These cases are likely to make their way to the Supreme Court, where they would join a flurry of emergency petitions that are before the justices — including one that could Advertisement That means the Supreme Court's docket will be busier than usual as it moves into the home stretch of its term, which traditionally wraps up by the end of June. Most of the most-watched cases, including those involving religious liberty claims, challenges to state bans on gender-affirming care, and gerrymandering claims, are still pending. There are also several cases still awaiting oral arguments later this month. Buckle up. This is an excerpt from , a newsletter about the Supreme Court from columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Kimberly Atkins Stohr is a columnist for the Globe. She may be reached at
