Neither the Chicago Bulls nor Nike commented publicly a document, published last week via a legal file, which lists their uniforms and sneakers as a means of identifying the members of a Venezuelan gang targeting deportations.
The Trump administration used the law on extraterrestrial enemies to expel or force dozens of people suspected of being part of the Gang Tren in Aragua – some of the active asylum seekers. In a declaration filed at the end of last week, ACLU lawyers representing some of these people produced a series of government documents linked to the way in which law enforcement agents identified these people. Declared identifiers included Chicago Bulls jerseys, Jordan brand sneakers and Jumpman logo tattoos.
A video published recently by the Government of Salvador, which has a number of these expelled people, includes images of a man with a Jumpman logo tattoo, according to NBC News.
Bulls Fan Gear is one of the best -selling NBA clothes, and Jordan Brand recorded $ 7 billion in income during the most recent Nike. A representative of the Bulls refused immediate comments. A representative of Jordan Brand did not respond to a request.
The document, labeled part 2, is the product of Homeland securities surveys, the largest investigation component of the American department of internal security. It includes various characteristics that law enforcement agents could use to “help to identify” the members of the Aragua Tren.
The list indicates that members “promote the Chicago Bulls basketball jersey, in particular Michael Jordan’s jerseys with the number” 23 “, and Jordan” Jump Man “Footwear”. A photo collage of nine different tattoos starts with a tattoo of the Jordan brand logo.
The document was included in the declaration after a separate document entitled “Validation guide for extraterrestrial enemies”, which, according to ACLU, was used to “determine whether the non-Citoyans Venezuelans are members of Tren de Aragua and subject to a summary referral under the law on extraterrestrial enemies”.
Another document from the declaration, of the American border patrol of the Ministry of Internal Security, seems to imply that the gang unit in the El Paso sector of the unit had determined that the holding of bulls was “generally linked to Venezuelan culture and not a final indicator of being a member or associated of (thirty of Aragua).”
The idea also received setbacks of experts. Bill Hing, professor of law at the University of San Francisco and co -director of the Immigration and Deportation Defense Clinic, said NBC News That it was “false and scandalous” to try to identify the members of the Venezuelan gang because of their tattoos.
“It is very obvious that the simple fact of having a tattoo of Michael Jordan does not necessarily mean that a person is a member of a gang,” he added.
The Bulls were the most sold fifth NBA team during the first half of this season, based on the official online store of the League. They only dragged the Celtics, Lakers, Knicks and Warriors.
