A professional soccer player has been deported to the “world’s worst prison” due to one of the tattoos he possesses, as well as his activity on social media.
Jerce Reyes Barrios, a player and children’s soccer coach originally from Venezuela, fled from his home country and arrived at the Mexican border back in September of 2024. It was made possible due to the CBP One app, which was used under former president Joe Biden to enhance border processing.
Highlights
- Jerce Reyes Barrios was deported due to a tattoo misinterpreted as gang-affiliated.
- Barrios's tattoo resembles Real Madrid's logo, instead of the supposed gang signs, his attorney claims.
- Barrios, although with no criminal record, has been linked to Venezuela's TdA gang by authorities.
He was able to stay in the United States for a little while, until recently, when he was detained after participating in a Maduro regime protest earlier this year.
A professional soccer player, originally from Venezuela, has been deported to El Salvador because of a tattoo depicting a soccer logo
Image credits: jercereyes
Image credits: jercereyes
Linette Tobin, Barrios’s attorney, said the soccer player has now been forcibly removed from the country and sent to El Salvador because of one of his tattoos that depicts a soccer logo.
Reports say the Department of Homeland Security sees the design as something gang-affiliated. Another public photo showcased Barrios holding up gang signs, they claimed.
In a statement to UNILAD, a senior DHS official said, “Jerce Reyes Barrios was not only in the United States illegally, but he has tattoos that are consistent with those indicating TdA gang membership.”
The Department of Homeland Security recognized it as a sign relating to the TdA gang
Image credits: jercereyes
Image credits: jercereyes
“His own social media indicates he is a member of the vicious TdA gang. That all said, DHS intelligence assessments go beyond a single tattoo and we are confident in our findings.”
But his attorney has come to his defense, saying that the tattoo with a crown on top of a soccer ball with the word ‘Dios’ (God), was chosen because it resembles Real Madrid’s logo.
“In reality, he chose this tattoo because it is similar to the logo for his favorite soccer team, Real Madrid,” Tobin clarified.
The outlet also reports the athlete has no criminal record, although he has been allegedly accused of being a Tren de Aragua (TdA) member — a transnational criminal organization and U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization from Venezuela.
Barrios's attorney has tried speaking up for his client
Image credits: AFP News Agency
With the athlete now overseas, Tobin wrote in court documents, “Counsel and family have lost all contact with him and have no information.”
This comes just after President Donald Trump claimed the TdA gang was invading the US, and subsequently decided to invoke the Alien Enemies Act, a law granting the government additional powers to regulate non-citizens, usually taken in effect during times of war.
Countless people have now been sent to a prison in El Salvador called the Terrorism Confinement Center.
Image credits: AFP News Agency
Image credits: jercereyes
A federal judge tried to ban these deportations, but the prisoners were already in transportation during the ruling.
One reporter from CNN visited the grueling prison and gave audiences a peek at the “spartan” conditions inmates were expected to live in.
Unlike a normal jail in America, the cells in question were built to hold more than 80 inmates. In addition, they were held there for 23.5 hours per day.
Many people have been sent to the Terrorism Confinement Center in response to Trump's administration
Image credits: Real Madrid CF
“The only furniture is tiered metal bunks, with no sheets, pillows, or mattresses… an open toilet, a cement basin and plastic bucket for washing and a large jug for drinking water,” the reporter, David Culver, described.
Reportedly, around 10,000 to 20,000 prisoners are being held in the prison. The 261 inmates who were just deported to El Salvador due to Trump’s administration are believed to be the newest members.
Image credits: jercereyes
In light of the news, many on social media have started questioning the justice system — and whether it’s truly on the side of the people.
“Bypassing all established processes, the judicial system we had in place is so arbitrary. How far, as a country, are we going to go?” one person asked.
“Even the ‘holiest,’ richest, most famous equally indulge in crime,” another wrote. “Criminality doesn’t select. Having said that proper investigations should be done before sending people to prison, many serve prison terms for things they didn’t commit.”
Image credits: jercereyes
A third pointed out that tattoos carry different stories for different people, saying, “Tattoos can have different meanings across cultures, and authorities jumping to conclusions without proper investigation can have severe, even life-threatening, consequences.
“If the prison is truly the worst in the world, his safety and human rights could be at serious risk.”
Many people on social media labeled the situation as "inhumane"
