Summary
Jerce Reyes Barrios, a Venezuelan soccer player, was deported to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act after U.S. authorities mistook his soccer logo tattoo for a gang symbol.
Barrios legally entered the U.S. in 2024 and was accused of being a Tren de Aragua gang member.
His attorney argued the tattoo resembled Real Madrid’s logo and provided evidence of his clean record.
Despite a court order blocking such deportations, Barrios was sent to El Salvador, and his current whereabouts are unknown.
Totally common law enforcement tactic.
Back in the day, it was sports teams, just about any team could be justified as “gang affiliated” and they used it as an excuse to hassle minorities.
https://www.kubashi.com/pop-culture/the-10-most-gang-affiliated-hats-in-sports/
Yup. At the high school I attended, if you were black or brown you could only wear black or white shirts, because any color was a gang color (nevermind the gangs in town wore red and blue).