Trump Admin Deported And Imprisoned Asylum Seeking Migrant Over Soccer Tattoo, Attorney Says to Court

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

ABC News reported on Thursday that an immigration attorney representing a migrant sent to a notorious prison in El Salvador by the Trump administration told a court on Wednesday that her client had no gang affiliations, prior criminal record, and was legally seeking asylum in the United States.

“Linette Tobin is representing Jerce Reyes Barrios, a professional soccer player from Venezuela who protested the Maduro regime in February and March 2024 and was detained and tortured after one of the demonstrations,” wrote ABC’s Armando Garcia, who added:

Barrios came to the U.S.-Mexico border legally through the CBP One app in September 2024 but has been accused of being a Tren de Aragua, or TdA, member and was detained at a facility under maximum security, Tobin said.

Barrios was reportedly being held in U.S. custody after applying for asylum and had a court hearing scheduled for April 17th. The ABC report adds that Tobin said her client was accused of being a Tren de Aragua gang member because of his tattoos, which she claims actually related to his time on the soccer field. The report added:

The Department of Homeland Security has accused Barrios of having a gang-affiliated tattoo and claimed a photo of him showed him displaying gang signs. ABC News has reached out to DHS.

The tattoo in question showed a crown sitting on top of a soccer ball with a rosary and the word “Dios” (God), according to Tobin. A declaration from the tattoo artist confirmed that Barrios chose it because it was similar to the Real Madrid soccer team logo, the attorney said. According to Tobin, those alleged gang signs were the hand symbol for rock and roll and “I love you” in sign language.

Tobin also said she submitted records from Venezuela that indicated Barrios had no criminal record in his home country and was employed as a professional soccer player and children’s soccer coach.

ABC added that Barrios was transferred to a detention facility in Texas “around March 10 or 11” and was “promptly deported to El Salvador on March 15.” El Salvador’s mega-prisons are infamous around their world for their harsh conditions.

“Counsel and family have lost all contact with him and have no information” as to his whereabouts, Tobin noted in the court documents. The Trump administration deported hundreds of migrants to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act as a federal judge paused the deportation flights, some of which had already taken off as the judge ruled.

Former immigration attorney Aaron Reichlin-Melnick posted Tobin’s declaration on X Thursday.

Read the full ABC News report here.