Opinion ID: 614073
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Cole's Experts

Text: Cole supported his claim with testimony from two purported experts: Luis Javier Rodriguez (Rodriguez) and Javier Canales Mesa (Canales). Rodriguez was offered as an expert on Central American gangs. Rodriguez testified that he was a self-employed author who had not written about Honduras and had no specific education, background, or expertise on the subject of Honduras or gangs in Honduras. The IJ was not convinced that Rodriguez was an expert on Central American gangs or had any specialized knowledge on the interaction between Honduran former gang members and the Honduran authorities, but permitted Rodriguez to testify as an expert on gangs and on the narrow issue of racial dynamics between Los Angeles and Central American gangs. Rodriguez testified that the major gangs in Honduras are the Hispanic gangs, Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, and the Mara 18, also known as the 18th Street, which are American gangs that have spread to Central America. He stated that the Crips are an African-American gang from Los Angeles. He testified that, in Los Angeles, the Crips are viewed as rivals to the Hispanic gangs. Rodriguez asserted that, in the United States, gang members may recognize rival gang members' tattoos, which can lead to violence. He speculated that the rivalry between the Hispanic gangs and the Crips would exist in Honduras and that someone with Crips tattoos might be threatened, beaten, or killed by the Hispanic gangs there if rival gangs were to see the Crips tattoos. Rodriguez also testified that there is a very strong anti-black culture in Honduras. Rodriguez testified that gang members obtain tattoos as a means of identifying their affiliation with a particular gang. He stated that removing tattoos is an expensive and painful process that could take several sessions and could leave scarring. He testified that tattoo removal was possible in Honduras, but that he knew of only two facilities and they lacked adequate personnel and equipment, so there was a backlog of people wanting to get their tattoos removed. The IJ accepted Cole's second expert, Canales, as an expert on the issue of the treatment of suspected gang members by Honduran police and rival gang members. Canales had worked with former gang members in Honduras. He testified that because Cole's gang tattoos indicate his membership in the Crips, Cole may be seen as a threat to some Honduran Hispanic gang members and accordingly there was a big possibility that Cole could be killed. However, on cross-examination, Canales admitted that he had not worked with any Crips. Canales testified that former Honduran gang members often try to remove their tattoos because of the risk of violence from rival gangs, police, and civil groups. He stated that some individuals try to remove the tattoos themselves, although there are three tattoo removal places in Honduras that will professionally remove tattoos. [3] He claims that it takes four to six sessions to remove a tattoo and that it is a painful process which may result in scarring. Canales stated that it is illegal in Honduras to be a gang member or to have a gang-related tattoo. He asserted that the government does not investigate the murders of gang members and that the police will direct violence at suspected gang members, or may even kill them. In addition, Canales testified about incidents in which Honduran police or prison guards killed suspected gang members in prison. He also testified that government-sanctioned death squads torture and kill undesirables, including suspected gang members. Canales opined that because of his tattoos, Cole has a greater than 75% chance he will be killed by Hispanic gang members and a 90% probability that he would be detained by police. Finally, Canales testified that most health care professionals in Honduras would refuse to treat an individual with tattoos because they would suspect he is a gang member. Canales provided one example in which he stated that he accompanied a bleeding tattooed gang member to a hospital and that this individual died in the waiting room because the staff would not treat the man on account of his tattoos. Canales asserted that the government is negligent because it does not hold doctors accountable and these events occur very often.