Venezuelan soccer star Jerce Reyes Barrios was deported to El Salvador after a tattoo was misinterpreted as a sign of gang affiliation.
The 36-year-old was awaiting an asylum ruling in the U.S. when he was detained last September by agents who believed he was part of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan narcoterrorist and criminal organization labeled as a foreign terror group by President Trump.
The tattoo that led to his arrest is of a soccer ball with a crown, rosary, and the word "Dios," which translates to God in Spanish. According to Linette Tobin, Barrios' lawyer, the design was inspired by the logo of his favorite football team, Real Madrid CF, not gangs.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told the New York Post that Barrios' detainment wasn't solely based on the tattoo but also a social media post showing him making a hand gesture with his thumb, index finger, and pinkie. Tobin clarified that this gesture is commonly used to signify "I love you" in sign language or "rock n' roll."
Officials were initially "confident" in pegging Barrios as a gang member, but evidence such as his clean criminal record, employment letters, and testimony from his tattoo artist eventually led to his removal from maximum security. However, without warning, Barrios was moved from San Diego to a Texas facility earlier this month, Tobin reports.
On March 15, Barrios found himself among the over 200 Venezuelan migrants deported under the Alien Enemies Act during the Trump administration's crackdown. A controversial agreement with El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele resulted in these individuals being detained at a notorious prison in the country.
Since his deportation to El Salvador, Barrios' lawyer and relatives have lost all contact with him, leaving them in the dark about his wellbeing. With his final asylum hearing set for April 17 in San Diego now in jeopardy, his legal status hangs in the balance. "He has never been arrested or charged with a crime," Tobin emphasized in a recent affidavit.
In a distressing Facebook update last week, Barrios' uncle disclosed that the family only learned of his deportation through viral videos shared by the Trump administration, which boasted about the mass expulsion of what it claimed were violent members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
Jair Barrios expressed surprise at seeing his nephew in videos of deportees to El Salvador, shared on social media. He clarified that while the crown tattoo on his nephew Jerce is also a symbol used by a notorious Venezuelan gang, Jerce's ink is purely soccer-related.
Before fleeing Venezuela last year, Barrios played professional soccer for Perijaneros Fútbol Club in Zuliaand and coached children. Tobin revealed that Barrios had been detained and "tortured" in a "clandestine building" in his homeland after publicly protesting against President Nicolás Maduro's regime in February and March 2024.
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Tobin stated that Barrios legally approached the U.S.-Mexico border using the CBP One app - a tool introduced under the Biden administration allowing migrants to schedule asylum hearings and request entry at the border - in September 2024. Despite presenting himself on the day of his appointment, he was taken into custody.
Trump has reportedly closed down the CBP One app after returning to office in January, and there's been no sign of Barrios. His lawyer and relatives know he's been deported to El Salvador, but that's where the trail goes cold.
"Counsel and family have lost all contact with him and have no information" about his current situation, Tobin noted in legal filings.