The Controversy of Gang Identification

In recent weeks, the Trump administration has deported hundreds of Venezuelan migrants by quickly labeling them as gang members and foreign enemies, and boarding them on planes to El Salvador. It’s sidestepping their rights to a court hearing where anyone might be able to scrutinize the claims against them.

As a result, very little has been known about who these men are, or how they were targeted by immigration officials. Until now.

Julie Turkewitz, the Andes bureau chief for The New York Times, explains who was actually on those planes, and discusses the secretive process that led to their deportations.

Guest: Julie Turkewitz, the Andes bureau chief for The New York Times, based in Bogotá, Colombia.

Background reading: 

• Inside President Trump’s rushed effort to deport 238 migrants.
• The government is relying more on tattoos to identify gang members. Experts say that’s unreliable.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Photo: Alex Peña/Getty Images

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