Immigration Lawyer Warns: Avoid These Tattoos to Prevent Being Linked to Tren de Aragua Amid Trump Crackdown

El Salvador officially took in 238 alleged members of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang this week, fulfilling part of an unprecedented deal between President Nayib Bukele and the Trump administration. The deportations come as Trump officials continue their crackdown on migrants suspected of gang affiliations—often based on little more than body art, per political observers.

A video shared alongside Bukele's announcement depicts agents from both countries handling the incoming detainees roughly. Armed soldiers escort the alleged gang members into a prison, where they are shaved and placed in what appear to be overcrowded cells. The footage shows the agents displaying the tattoos of several detainees—symbols that, in the eyes of U.S. immigration officials, link them to the Tren de Aragua.

While Trump officials frame these deportees as hardened criminals, some political observers remain skeptical. Critics argue that the U.S. government may be labeling migrants as Tren de Aragua members based solely on their tattoos, raising concerns about due process and wrongful deportations.

Immigration attorney John R. De La Vega is among those questioning the government's approach. In a post on X, he shared a collage of tattoos allegedly associated with the gang and warned migrants to avoid getting inked with these symbols. The images included a star, a crown, a train, a rose, a long rifle, and the number "23."

"Caution in times of uncertainty," De La Vega wrote. "The federal government has identified many members of the Tren de Aragua (Aragua Train) based on their tattoos. Although most of the tattoos in the image can be considered common, be very careful if you want to mark yourself with any type of symbol on your body, because that innocent tattoo you got could be the only factor the government uses to identify you as a TDA member."

His warning quickly gained traction. One X user shared the post, commenting, "The U.S. considers that having any of these tattoos (which are pretty common) makes you part of the so-called 'Tren de Aragua.' We're about to see thousands of innocent people thrown into maximum-security prisons in El Salvador."

Tattoos have long been used as evidence of gang affiliation, particularly in Central America, where criminal organizations often require members to get inked as a form of branding—whether voluntarily or under coercion.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration escalated its efforts to "deport criminals" by flying a group of 10 alleged Tren de Aragua members to the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In February, Texas Public Radio interviewed Peggy Paz, the mother of one of those men. She described how her 25-year-old son, Jhoan Bastidas, was detained largely because of his tattoos after reaching the U.S.-Mexico border to request asylum in 2023.

"He's never done anything wrong," she told the NPR affiliate. "The only bad thing he's ever done was get those tattoos I told him not to get."

According to court records obtained by the radio station, Bastidas, a construction worker, had no criminal history aside from a charge for improper entry into the country. His mother said he got the tattoos because they were fashionable at the time.

Despite the administration's claims, there has been little public evidence linking the Guantanamo Bay detainees to criminal activities. The New York Times has reported a lack of supporting documentation from the Department of Homeland Security regarding the men's alleged gang affiliations.

Susan Phillips, a researcher who studies criminal tattoos and provides testimony in legal cases, told NPR that the Trump administration is strategically using tattooed detainees as "the poster children for this deportation display."

"You know, you put anybody in shackles, you're going to make them look like a criminal, and that becomes how people contextualize their tattoos," she said. "They're being very clever about the optics of this."