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U.S. Judge Slams DOJ for Again Defying Orders as Immigrants Targeted for Deportation over Tattoos

HeadlineMar 21, 2025

Federal Judge James Boasberg accused the Trump Justice Department of “again evading their obligations” and presenting “woefully insufficient” information around its deportation flights of Venezuelan immigrants under the Alien Enemies Act. Boasberg had ordered the administration to present the information after it violated the judge’s order last weekend to halt and turn around removal flights to El Salvador.

Meanwhile, lawyers and loved ones of the deported individuals say they’ve been falsely accused of belonging to the Tren de Aragua gang simply because they have tattoos. One of them is professional soccer player Jerce Reyes Barrios. His lawyer says the tattoo that landed him on the deportation list depicts a crown sitting on top of a soccer ball with a rosary and the word “Dios,” chosen by Barrios as a nod to the Real Madrid soccer team logo. In Venezuela, families of deportees have pleaded with authorities to bring their loved ones home amid reports of serious abuses at El Salvador’s mega-prison where they’re being held.

Idalis Chirino: “We ask the corresponding authorities, the U.N., to please join us. We want to know the whereabouts of our children. Please, return them to us if they are in El Salvador. They are not criminals.”

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