Tattoo Checks Trip Up Visas

Body Art Associated With Gang Symbols Derails Some Immigrants' Green Cards

By MIRIAM JORDAN, WSJ

Hector Villalobos, who is seeking a green card, was asked by a U.S. official whether some of his tattoos are linked to gangs, his lawyers said.

In December, Hector Villalobos traveled from Colorado to his native Mexico for an interview, part of his application for U.S. permanent residency. Mr. Villalobos expected to be gone a couple of months to complete the process.

Seven months later, U.S. consular officers haven't allowed the 37-year-old handyman to return home to his wife and three children. The problem: tattoos—some associated with violent Mexican gangs—on Mr. Villalobos's body.

"He likes tattoos, just like many Americans like tattoos" said Veronica, his American wife of six years, who says her husband isn't affiliated with any criminal organization. Mr. Villalobos says he got his tattoos—some in Mexico, some in the U.S.—because he thought they were cool.

Hector Villalobos's tattoos include, above right, a pair of theatrical masks called, 'Smile Now, Cry Later,' which some interpret as a gang symbol.

In recent years, immigration attorneys say, concern about foreign gangs entering the U.S. has prompted Washington to delay or deny green cards, or legal permanent residency, to some applicants with tattoos.

(More here.)