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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The United States Supreme Court said Friday it would hear the case of a man who was denied a visa to return to his wife in Los Angeles, in part because of his tattoos.
Luis Acensio-Cordero, 47, an El Salvador citizen, has been waiting for years to reenter the United States. He was denied a visa eight years ago partly due to his tattoos, documents show.
Acensio had been living in the U.S. unlawfully when he and Muñoz got married in 2010. Before he could be issued a green card, he was told to return to his native country for a consular interview, he said.
The government denied the visa request, alleging Acensio would be likely to engage in criminal conduct if allowed back into the U.S., based on his in-person interview, a criminal review and a review of his tattoos, court papers show.
The government apparently believed Acensio was a member of MS-13, the transnational Salvadoran criminal street gang that began in Los Angeles in the 1980s, according to court documents.
The justices on Friday agreed to hear the government's appeal of a decision from the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which determined that Muñoz had a constitutionally protected interest in her husband getting a visa.