Tecoluca, El Salvador - Andry José Hernández Romero was arrested and to El Salvador by ICE on the assumption that a pair of crown made him a member of the Tren de Aragua gang.

Reports in recent weeks have strongly indicated that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is using the tattoos and clothing of Venezuelan migrants as supposed evidence that they are in the Tren de Aragua gang. © AFP/Alex Brandon/Pool

Romero has two tattoos inked into his wrists featuring crowns that symbolize the Three Kings Day celebrations, which his hometown in Venezuela is famous for.

When he fled to the US due to persecution of his sexuality, though, those tattoos turned not into a happy reminder of his origins but a tool by which the could detain and brutally deport him.

have strongly indicated that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is using the tattoos and clothing of Venezuelan migrants as supposed evidence that they are in the Tren de Aragua gang.

A series of cases have emerged in which Venezuelan asylum seekers were deported to brutal prisons in El Salvador , religious tributes, , and more.

Romero seems to be the next victim of such actions, despite calls from family members and organizations linked with the iconic Three Kings Day celebrations.

"Most Capacheros get crown tattoos, often adding the name of their father or mother," explained Miguel Chacón, president of the Capacho's Three Kings Day foundation, per .

"We have lots of people with these tattoos – it's a tradition that began in 1917."

There is no legal justification for Romero's deportation
The Trump administration has repeatedly deported Venezuelans based primarily on physical characteristics like tattoos and clothing. © AFP/Alex Brandon/Pool

In , it was revealed that the judge who had been tasked with determining whether he should be deported had neither been informed nor had ordered his removal.

Instead, the judge was informed by an ICE lawyer that "He was removed to El Salvador" when Andry failed to appear at a hearing.

"How can he be removed to El Salvador if there's no removal order?" the judge reportedly responded, flabbergasted by the news. ICE had also failed to inform Andry's lawyer, Paulina Reyes.

To make matters worse, Andry was after a federal judge ordered a pause on the deportations pending a review of their legality.

"He made the journey," Andry's mother told The New Yorker, referring to the dangerous trip he made to the US. "He wanted to change his life, to reach his potential, and to help us here."