A recent New York Times investigation found that, contrary to claims made by Trump, many of the 238 deported Venezuelans have no ties to the Tren de Aragua gang. Only 32 had serious criminal records, while most appear innocent. Legal complexities and human stories highlight the challenges facing these men.
In March, President Trump moved quickly to deport 238 Venezuelan men, classifying them as alien enemies under an 18th-century law. He alleged that many were linked to the Tren de Aragua gang, a transnational criminal organization purportedly engaged in irregular warfare against the United States. However, a probing investigation from the New York Times has uncovered a lack of evidence connecting most of these men to the criminal group.
Ali Rogin of PBS spoke with Julie Turkewitz, the lead reporter at the Times who conducted the investigation. Turkewitz explained that her team combed through records from several countries including the U.S., Venezuela, Peru, and others, in order to validate the claims made against these individuals. The result? Only 32 among the 238 had serious criminal records, and even fewer had any link to Tren de Aragua.
Turkewitz also detailed the criteria the Trump administration used to classify these men. Court documents revealed a scoring system where individuals earn points based on characteristics deemed suspicious by law enforcement. For example, certain tattoos or styles of dress could grant a person up to eight points, leading them to be labeled a “validated member” of Tren de Aragua. Experts, however, criticized this methodology, stating that tattoos aren’t even associated with gang membership in Venezuela, calling this rubric highly questionable.
One striking case that emerged from the investigation is that of Arturo Suarez Trejo. Suarez, originally from Venezuela, had been living in Chile, providing for his family by installing refrigerators and pursuing music. After moving to the U.S. under a temporary status, he found himself in a precarious situation when ICE detained him while he was filming a music video. His family learned of his fate only when they saw a video of him being deported, highlighting the human impact of these bureaucratic decisions.
The situation for these deported men remains murky. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has shown skepticism about the evidence against them, indicating the possibility for reconsideration. He set a one-year term for the imprisonment of the deported men at a facility in El Salvador, a sentence that may be subject to renewal. Meanwhile, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has suggested these men should remain incarcerated for life, a stance currently under legal dispute.
The New York Times investigation reveals significant discrepancies between the allegations made by the Trump administration against the recently deported Venezuelans and the actual evidence available. The investigation uncovered that a mere handful of these men have any connections to the Tren de Aragua gang, challenging the legitimacy of their rapid deportations. Furthermore, the criteria used to classify individuals as gang members raises serious questions about the fairness of their treatment. As legal proceedings unfold, the fate of the deported individuals remains uncertain, with potential implications on U.S.-El Salvador relations.
Original Source: www.pbs.org
