The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has obtained a list from Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) that reveals just how terrifyingly easy it is for the government to designate a Venezuelan immigrant as an “Alien Enemy,” including allowing ICE officers to declare tattoos and items of clothing as containing gang signs. Immigration Council Senior Fellow Aaron Reichlin-Melnick shared on X (formerly Twitter) a copy of the “Alien Enemies Act Validation Guide” on Sunday. The guide outlines a point system ICE can use to deport immigrants it designates as members of the Tren de Aragua (TDA) gang and send them to the infamously cruel and inhumane Terrorism Confinement Center ( CECOT ) in El Salvador .
Earlier this month, the administration flew nearly 300 Venezuelans to CECOT because it alleged they were members of TDA despite a court order instructing the government not to deport the immigrants. The administration has appealed to the Supreme Court , arguing judges do not have legal authority to halt its deportations. The ACLU and Democracy Forward have filed suit against the administration over the deportations, saying they violate the limits of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act and “improperly attempt.
.. to bypass the procedures and protections in immigration law.
” According to the checklist, an ICE official must determine that the immigrant is a Venezuelan citizen older than 14. After that, the guide lays out a point system the agency created with different allegat.