A British man, Pete Belton, is facing an unsettling situation after learning that his personal tattoo appears in a U.S. government document associated with a notorious Venezuelan gang.
The 44-year-old from Ilkeston, Derbyshire, is now worried that his upcoming family holiday to Miami could turn into a much darker experience—one that might lead to being wrongly detained in the infamous Guantanamo Bay prison.
Tattoo Linked to Dangerous Venezuelan Gang
Pete Belton’s trouble started when he discovered that an image of his tattoo, which features a clock face marking the birth of his daughter, was included in a Department of Homeland Security document.
This document is used to identify members of the Tren de Aragua (TdA), a violent Venezuelan criminal organization.
The tattoo, which is a personal symbol of love and family, was listed alongside other tattoos commonly associated with gang members, such as crowns, trains, and stars.
The discovery was made after Belton’s tattoo appeared in a set of images used to help authorities detect TdA members.
Despite the fact that his tattoo is not linked to any criminal activity, it was included in a collection of body art that officials believed could signify gang affiliation.
Growing Concerns for His Family’s Vacation
Belton, who had been looking forward to a family vacation in the U.S. with his wife and daughter in August, now fears his holiday could be upended.
The thought of being detained and falsely associated with a criminal gang is haunting him.
“In my head, I’m thinking if I’m working in border force and I saw me walking through, I’d think ‘hey up we’ve got one, he’s the one in the document,'” Belton expressed to the BBC.
While he initially considered canceling the trip to avoid any potential trouble, Belton has decided to wait and see how the situation unfolds.
“Hopefully, now they’d realize I’m not a Venezuelan gangster,” he added.
However, he remains cautious, acknowledging that “I’ve seen crazier things happen in the news recently.”
U.S. Crackdown on Gangs and Migrants
This incident comes amid a broader crackdown by the U.S. government, particularly under President Donald Trump, on gangs and criminals linked to violence.
Trump has declared that Guantanamo Bay will serve as a holding facility for “the worst criminal aliens,” a group that includes those considered hard to deport.
As part of this strategy, thousands of alleged criminals are being moved to military detention facilities, with some even being sent to El Salvador’s notorious Terrorism Confinement Centre.
Though tattoos are being used as one method to identify alleged gang members, experts have pointed out that body art is not always a reliable indicator of affiliation with the TdA.
In fact, some have questioned whether tattoos, like the one on Belton’s arm, should even be considered a valid way to link someone to criminal activity.
The Reality of Misidentification
The use of tattoos as identifiers has led to some troubling cases of mistaken identity.
In some instances, migrants have been labeled as members of the TdA simply because they had tattoos that coincidentally resembled those worn by gang members.
Researchers, including Rebecca Hanson, an assistant professor of sociology and criminology at the University of Florida, argue that there is no standard set of tattoos or symbols that can definitively identify TdA members.
“TdA members may, of course, have tattoos, but this is not part of a collective identity,” Hanson explained in a legal filing.
Understanding the TdA and Its Reach
The Tren de Aragua gang originated in Venezuela during the country’s economic and humanitarian crisis in 2014.
Since then, the gang has expanded across borders, forging alliances with other local criminal groups.
The TdA is estimated to have around 5,000 members, and it generates annual profits of between $10 million and $15 million, primarily through organized crime.
Despite its size and influence, experts agree that tattoos are not a defining characteristic of TdA membership, which raises significant concerns about the reliability of using body art as a method of identification.
A Family’s Uncertain Future
For Pete Belton, the fear of being mistaken for a criminal is a real and growing concern.
While he is hopeful that authorities will recognize his innocence, the uncertainty surrounding his trip to Miami—and the potential implications of being linked to a gang—has overshadowed his excitement for the vacation.
With the situation still unresolved, Belton is left waiting to see if his family holiday will take a disastrous turn or if the tattoo mix-up will be cleared up in time.