Anne Ryan-USA TODAY by way of Imagn Content material Providers, LLC
In accordance with a doc revealed by the USA Division of Homeland Safety (DHS), Chicago Bulls jerseys and Air Jordan sneakers and tattoos are being linked to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The doc was made public just lately in a authorized submitting made by American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) legal professionals.
The DHS doc titled “Alien Enemy Validation Information” was despatched to legislation enforcement businesses to assist them to “determine” suspected gang members. The ACLU acknowledged in its authorized submitting that this DHS information is getting used to “decide whether or not Venezuelan noncitizens are members of Tren de Aragua and topic to abstract elimination beneath the Alien Enemies Act.”
In it, the DHS states members of the Tren de Aragua gang “favor the Chicago Bulls basketball jersey, particularly Michael Jordan jerseys with the quantity ‘23’, and Jordan ‘Soar Man’ footwear.” The doc additionally incorporates a photograph collage of 9 completely different tattoos together with one of many Jordan Model emblem.
Nevertheless, in one other Division of Homeland Safety doc, the El Paso Sector gang unit of the U.S. Border Patrol states the Chicago Bulls jerseys are “sometimes associated to the Venezuelan tradition and never a particular indicator of being a member or affiliate of the [Tren de Aragua].”
“It’s very evident that simply having a Michael Jordan tattoo doesn’t essentially imply that an individual is a gang member,” Invoice Hing, a legislation professor on the College of San Francisco instructed NBC Information. “Jordan is standard around the globe, and for a lot of Venezuelans, he’s a part of their style.”
Sportico Deputy Editor Eben Novy-Williams experiences, “Bulls fan gear is among the many NBA’s best-selling attire, and Jordan Model had $7 billion in income in Nike’s most up-to-date fiscal 12 months. A consultant for the Bulls declined quick remark. A consultant for Jordan Model didn’t reply to a request.”
