U.S. immigration scorecard for deportations relied on tattoos, social posts, court filings show

Government records obtained by the ACLU show a point system used by immigration authorities that families and attorneys say unfairly targeted Venezuelan deportees.

A young barber. A gay makeup artist. A professional soccer player.

They are all Venezuelan migrants whose families or attorneys have claimed were unfairly deported from the United States to a notorious megaprison in El Salvador after the Trump administration accused them of belonging to the Tren de Aragua gang.

Weeks after the migrants were deported, court documents show immigration officials relied on a scorecard-like system using evidence such as everyday tattoos to accuse those and other Venezuelan men and justify their deportations.

The government's reliance on tattoos and social media posts as sufficient reason for deportation to a third country is what families and legal representatives have been fighting in the courts as relatives worry over the men's fate.

A document the American Civil Liberties Union filed in federal court Friday shows a copy of an “ALIEN ENEMY VALIDATION GUIDE,” requiring immigration officials to act against Venezuelans over age 14 who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents.