How Trump's mass deportations targeted men with tattoos

<p>It looked like a scene from a very different period of history: US Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, standing in front of a prison pen filled with gaunt, shirtless men, their heads shaved, staring silently at the cameras.&nbsp;</p> <p>The footage is from El Salvador, where the US government had whisked away over 200 Venezuelan migrants to be held in the notorious Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT).&nbsp;</p> <p>It&rsquo;s just one of the surreal propaganda posts the Trump administration has released, bragging about imprisoning men they deemed murderous gang-affiliated terrorists.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>But looking at these images, one woman saw not a terrorist, but her husband.&nbsp;</p> <p>In his investigation into these deportations, <em>Mother Jones </em>reporter Noah Lanard found that ordinary men, with no gang affiliations, had been targeted because they had tattoos.</p> <p>Today, Noah Lanard on the people America is disappearing and what the spectacle of deportations says about Trump&rsquo;s immigration agenda.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>If you enjoy <em>7am</em>, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at <a href="http://7ampodcast.com.au/support">7ampodcast.com.au/support</a>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Socials:</strong><strong> </strong>Stay in touch with us on <a href="http://www.instagram.com/7ampodcast">Instagram</a></p> <p><strong>Guest:</strong> <em>Mother Jones</em> reporter, Noah Lanard</p> <p><strong>Background Reading:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/03/venezuela-trump-deportation-el-salvador-prison-human-rights-cecot-due-process/">What the Hundreds of Venezuelans Trump Sent to El Salvador Are Up Against</a></p> <p><strong>Photo:</strong> AP Photo/Alex Brandon</p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>