Trump admin using tattoos to 'identify' gang members, justify deporting migrants; experts slam method as 'too simplistic'

US President Donald Trump on Friday (Apr 18) slammed Democrats for trying to bring back Kilmar Abrego Garcia from El Salvador. Posting a supposed picture of Garcia's "MS-13 tattooed" knuckles, claiming that he was a member of the international criminal gang MS-13.

This is not a one-off thing. As per reports, Trump has increasingly cited tattoos as proof of gang membership in his push for undocumented migrants. However, this has drawn criticism from experts, who have flagged the practice as flawed and misleading.

Taking to Truth Social, Trump ranted: "This is the hand of the man that the Democrats feel should be brought back to the United States, because he is such 'a fine and innocent person'."

"They said he is not a member of MS-13, even though he's got MS-13 tattooed onto his knuckles, and two Highly Respected Courts found that he was a member of MS-13, beat up his wife, etc."

"I was elected to take bad people out of the United States, among other things. I must be allowed to do my job. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" he added.

As per a NY Times report, to expel more migrants from the country, the Trump administration has lowered the bar on identifying people as gang members. For example, to designate a person as a member of a gang like the Tren de Aragua, the government uses a 10-point scoring system under a document titled "Alien Enemy Validation Guide".

"Tattoos denoting membership/loyalty to TDA" gets four points. Meanwhile, another four points could be assigned for "insignia, logos, notations, drawings, or dress known to indicate allegiance to TDA."

Talking to the NY Times, Bill O. Hing, a law professor at the University of San Francisco and an immigration attorney for a half-century, said that targeting people based on tattoos alone was too "simplistic".

"It is possible that some gang members have a particular insignia," he said, adding that it was also "possible that somebody who has that tattoo is not in the gang."

"So that's why it's overinclusive to make such a generalisation."