Dec 30, 2007 8:00 am US/Eastern
Court Rejects Asylum Plea For Tattooed Gang Member
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
A Los Angeles man who claimed his gang tattoos would get him tortured in El Salvador has lost a bid to avoid deportation.
An appeals court has rejected a plea for asylum by Jean Arteaga.
Arteaga came to this country when he was four years old but was ordered deported because of several felony convictions.
He asked to be granted humanitarian refugee status because of fears the gang tattoos that cover much of his body would mark him for persecution and possibly torture by rival gang members in El Salvador.
Gangs tattoos are often used to identify membership to allies, but outside the group's domain, rivals view the branded members as threats.
But the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said he couldn't provide evidence to back up the claim.
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