Aaron Reichlin-Melnick Profile picture
Mar 30 9 tweets 4 min read Read on X
NEW: An ACLU filing sheds light on how "Andry," the gay make-up artist sent to rot in a prison in El Salvador, ended up labeled "Tren de Aragua" by ICE.

Documents filed by ICE shows that the ONLY evidence ICE listed for membership in TdA was a tattoo of a crown with "mom" below. Image
Image
Here are the tattoos that ICE declared were evidence that Andry, a gay make-up artist who came to a port of entry seeking asylum from Venezuela, was a member of the vicious gang "Tren de Aragua."

I am not making this up. This is it. "Mom" and "Dad" with crowns over them. Image
The document, a gang questionnaire that was filled out when Andry was first detained by ICE, is maddening.

Andry keeps saying he has no connection with the gangs, yet the ICE officer filling out the form keeps writing in things suggesting he's linked to Tren de Aragua. Image
After interviewing Andry, who says REPEATEDLY that he is not a member of a gang, somehow an ICE officer concludes that despite all that, his two crown tattoos with "mom" and "dad" written under them are "Consistent with those of a Tren de Aragua member." Image
The document above was submitted in immigration court when his lawyers challenged the idea that he was part of Tren de Aragua and therefore a safety threat.

That was the ONLY thing they filed -- plus a link to a Newsweek article on claims of Tren de Aragua tattoos.

That's it! 23. I have attached a true and complete copy of OPLA’s evidence against my client (Exhibit A) and photos from his social media (Exhibit B). 24. These crown tattoos are the only basis of the government’s assertion, in its filing, that he is connected to Tren de Aragua. An officer says “[t]he crown has been found to be an identifier for a Tren de Aragua gang member” without offering further explanation. On a points-based rubric in the filing used by detention officers to evaluate if someone is a gang member, only the tattoo is mentioned. There are other categories for contact with other gang ...
Andry entered the country legally at a port of entry to seek asylum.

But even if he HAD entered the country illegally, that would not justify him being labeled an "alien enemy" and sent to one of the worst prisons in the world with no due process.
No, he is still in CECOT. His lawyers have been unable to get in touch with him since he was sent there on March 15.
A few dozen families in Venezuela filed habeas corpus lawsuits in El Salvador seeking to have their family members released on the grounds that they are innocent. I do not know if Andry is among them. There is no specific lawsuit in the US at this moment.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Aaron Reichlin-Melnick

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @ReichlinMelnick

Jun 7
The U.S. government is “demanding” that people stop using certain political rhetoric.

That is appalling. The government cannot order people not to speak in ways they don’t like.
Exactly. Threats against judges are up dramatically, and come after DHS and ICE itself have made appalling and prejudicial comments about judges.
Beyond the free speech issues and the hypocrisy, I am actually sympathetic to some of his concerns! Threatening the family of an ICE officer is wrong!

But ICE leadership knew a large backlash was a consequence of these outrageous new operations; and they ordered it anyway.
Read 4 tweets
Jun 1
What infuriates me so much about this operation is that it is literally punishing people for following the rules and showing up to their court hearings. It is so toxic to the basic concept of following the rules. ICE itself is effectively encouraging people to violate the law.
Exactly. People can understand intuitively why this is wrong.

It also literally erases a fair day in court. That’s the entire point of the operation.
First, that’s not what’s happening here, people are having their cases dismissed over their objections.

And second, yes, that’s been the standard for generations where people do not waive appeal. There is by law a 30 day period to appeal before any removal order becomes final.
Read 6 tweets
May 22
🚨ICE arrests continued today at immigration courts nationwide. People showing up for court are being handcuffed in the hallways by ICE officers with lists of names, after ICE prosecutors move to dismiss the case.

Here's what those officers looked in Seattle as they, per @KUOW. Image
Stories are coming in from around the country about these arrests, which have occurred in LA, Miami, SF, Phoenix, Seattle, NYC, Chicago, and other places with immigration courts.

The goal of the Trump admin's efforts are to erase the right to see a judge.
kuow.org/stories/ice-ag…
This new effort by the Trump admin is aimed primarily at people with NO CRIMINAL RECORD. Many entered legally at a port of entry.

These people are seen as low hanging fruit for an admin wanting to juice deportation numbers by skipping the formal court process entirely. Image
Read 10 tweets
May 21
NEW: ICE confirms that it is deporting someone to South Sudan, putting a link to an upcoming press conference on YouTube.

A hearing in Massachusetts begins in an hour. The judge ordered ICE not to transfer custody of a Vietnamese man believed to be on that flight to South Sudan. Image
The link is here. Chief DHS propagandist Tricia McLaughlin is talking now, beginning by emphasizing the serious criminal conduct of the people it has reportedly sent to South Sudan (murder and rape). She says South Sudan agreed to take them. youtube.com/live/p2U8Eh1VF…
McLaughlin called this a "military operation" (bull, it's a private jet contracted by ICE) and calls the men "uniquely violent monsters" and shows 8 pictures. She attacks Judge Murphy, calling him an "activist judge."

Every time she refers to the men, she calls them "monsters."
Read 21 tweets
May 21
🚨UPDATE: In a late-night court hearing, the Trump admin says that it deported the Burmese man to Burma, but is REFUSING to say where they deported the Vietnamese man, claiming it’s classified!

The judge ordered ICE to tell everyone involved they may face criminal contempt. Image
Image
The @nytimes has more details, as they apparently got a reporter in the hearing.

There is reportedly another hearing scheduled for tomorrow morning at 11:00 as a continuation. It seems unlikely Judge Murphy will rule tonight.

nytimes.com/2025/05/20/us/…
@nytimes Here is the section of the article noting the moment when Judge Murphy ordered the DOJ lawyer at the hearing to notify everyone involved, “from the pilot of the plane to officials at the Department of Homeland Security,” that they might face charges of criminal contempt of court. Image
Read 5 tweets
May 20
🚨According to litigators, ICE just put a dozen men on a flight to SOUTH SUDAN, a country which is on the brink of civil war, in direct defiance of a court order requiring ICE to give people an opportunity to raise objections before being sent to a country not their own. Image
Litigators filed an emergency request for a restraining order to halt the flight from taking off or, if it's already in the air, to turn it around.

Citing the Supreme Court's decision on the Alien Enemies Act, they emphasize that people on the flight were denied due process. Image
The men reportedly being sent to South Sudan include at least two of the men the administration previously tried to send to Libya.

If it's the same dozen men, it includes people from Mexico, Bolivia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and other countries.
Read 12 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(