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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Sam Levin in Los Angeles and Maanvi Singh in Oakland

Revealed: US law enforcement claimed emojis could signal Tren de Aragua affiliation

Tren de Aragua Donald Trump FBI NYPD United States Aragua CBP Immigration DHS Eric Adams
Graphic illustration of a cellphone screen over the suggestion of a law enforcement file.
‘The speculation over the gang’s use of emojis and tattoos stems from a social panic that certain immigrants are criminals.’ Composite: The Guardian/Getty Images/FBI/NYPD

US law enforcement officials have claimed that the use of certain emojis could signal affiliation with Tren de Aragua (TdA), a Venezuelan gang, according to internal records reviewed by the Guardian.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the US army and other agencies have alleged in briefings, threat warnings and training materials for law enforcement that specific symbols used on social media are associated with Tren de Aragua, a group Donald Trump has regularly cited to support his immigration crackdown.

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