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Recent court documents indicate that the Trump administration has established a minimal threshold for deporting Venezuelan migrants, whom officials allege are affiliated with the street gang, Tren de Aragua.
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The Trump administration has claimed the authority to swiftly deport Venezuelan migrants accused of gang affiliation, relying largely on the presence of tattoos or clothing linked to the notorious street gang, Tren de Aragua, according to recent court filings.
These documents suggest that the administration has set a very low threshold for pursuing the deportation of individuals identified as part of the gang. This month, the White House ordered the deportation of over 100 individuals suspected of gang membership under the wartime statute known as the Alien Enemies Act, denying them any opportunity to contest the allegations made against them.
In court documents submitted over the weekend, lawyers representing the Venezuelan migrants presented a government document titled “Alien Enemy Validation Guide.” This guide outlines the criteria that administration officials are expected to follow to classify individuals as members of Tren de Aragua.
The guide includes a scoring system that determines whether the migrants can be identified as gang members, requiring a total of eight points for an individual to be classified as such.
According to the guide, if a migrant admits to being a member of the gang, they automatically receive 10 points, categorizing them as a member and subjecting them to immediate deportation under the Alien Enemies Act.
Additionally, the document states that officials can assign four points to a migrant simply for having “tattoos denoting membership/loyalty to TDA,” and another four points if law enforcement determines that the individual “displays insignia, logos, notations, drawings, or dress known to indicate allegiance to TDA.”
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