Quick Hit:

The Department of Homeland Security approved several Venezuelan gang members as refugees after officers failed to identify their gang tattoos, raising national security concerns.

Key Details:

• USCIS missed gang tattoos during refugee application processing for Tren de Aragua members.
• Customs and Border Protection (CBP) intercepted the gang members at the U.S. border.
• Experts called the oversight a significant threat to public safety.

Diving Deeper:

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has come under fire after immigration officers approved refugee applications for members of the violent Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua (TDA), without noticing gang tattoos. According to The Washington Times, the gang members were flagged at the U.S. border by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, but not before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had already granted them refugee status.

Kevin Grigsby, head of refugee operations at USCIS, admitted the oversight in a scathing internal email obtained by The Times. Grigsby acknowledged that officers failed to ask about or recognize the significance of the gang-related tattoos during the refugee adjudication process. "Unfortunately, we did not ask about the tattoos... [which] represents a serious public safety concern," he wrote.

The revelation has sparked outrage, with experts and former officials pointing to the lapse as a major national security failure. Rosemary Jenks, policy director of the Immigration Accountability Project, described the incident as "one of the most absurd things" she has witnessed, adding that it reflects the Biden administration's broader mishandling of immigration.

Emilio Gonzalez, who led USCIS during the George W. Bush administration, labeled the situation as "scandalous," calling it "egregious" that the current administration is admitting individuals tied to dangerous transnational criminal organizations.

TDA, which originated in Venezuela, has spread across South America and, more recently, into the United States. Some of its members have already been involved in violent crimes within the U.S., including the brutal beatings of New York City police officers and the alleged connection to the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.

According to NBC News, Homeland Security has identified 100 confirmed TDA members among the migrant population and suspects there could be 500 more linked to the gang. Experts are divided on whether TDA poses a greater threat than MS-13, though some suggest the Venezuelan gang is more organized and better armed.

This latest revelation follows another blunder by USCIS earlier this year, when fraud was discovered in a “parole” program for migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua. Both incidents were uncovered by CBP, raising concerns over USCIS's ability to effectively vet and process incoming migrants.