The Trump administration has been under scrutiny for deporting legal immigrants without any reasonable explanation. Most recently, a gay makeup artist was deported to El Salvador mega prison who came to the US last year in search of asylum.
Andry Hernandez Romero is among hundreds of migrants deported by the government to El Salvador’s controversial prison. It’s worth noting that Andry had no criminal history and was deported three weeks ago to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) under the Alien Enemies Act.
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CECOT is a maximum security prison that was built in late 2022 amid the large-scale Salvadoran gang crackdown. It has a capacity for 40,000 inmates. In his second term, Trump is sending migrants to the prison, alleging that they are Venezuelan gang members. Several innocent migrants like Andry Hernandez were detained by masked ICE agents and deported to the mega prison, which is infamous for alleged human rights abuses.
Lindsay Toczylowski, Andry’s lawyer, said on CBS News’ 60 Minutes, “Our client, who was in the middle of seeking asylum, just disappeared. One day he was there, and the next day we’re supposed to have court, and he wasn’t brought to court,” said Lindsay Toczylowski, Andry Hernandez Romero’s lawyer.
His lawyer revealed that Andry left his hometown, Venezuela, in May 2024 because he faced harassment due to his sexual orientation. Since it became hard for him to live there, he decided to embark on a journey to the US. He first arrived in Mexico after crossing Darien Gap, a 60-mile stretch of mountains and jungles between Colombia and Panama. He was then able to secure an asylum appointment in America. Thus, he entered the US legally and was taken into custody while his case proceeded.
Lindsay Toczylowski emphasized that Andry had a strong case for asylum and had already completed the first step in the asylum process. The lawyer said in the interview, “And the government had found that his threats against him were credible and that he had a real probability of winning an asylum claim.”
As the Salvadoran government allows the entry of media outlets inside the El Salvador prison, TIME magazine photojournalist Philip Holsinger was able to capture the life of the deportees. Among them was Andry Hernandez Romero, who was crying as his head was shaved. “I’m innocent” and “I’m gay,” he yelled in tears, as per CBS News.
The photojournalist told Overtime, “He was being slapped every time he would speak up… he started praying and calling out, literally crying for his mother.”
“His crying out for his mother really, really touched me,” he added. Holsinger further revealed that Andry and other inmates were ordered to strip naked and put on the prison uniform. They were then forced to kneel in a line with their hands cuffed. The inmates were then pushed to the ground as their faces pressed to the concrete floor.
Condemning his arrest, Andry’s lawyer said, “It’s horrifying to see someone who we’ve met and know as a sweet, funny artist, in the most horrible conditions I could imagine.”
“We have grave concerns about whether he can survive,” she said, expressing concern for her client’s safety.
The Trump administration claims that Andry is a member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, and the only evidence supporting their claim is his tattoos of a crown. Lindsay said, “These are tattoos that not only have a plausible explanation because he is someone who worked in the beauty pageant industry, but also the crowns themself were on top of the names of his parents. The most plausible explanation for that is that his mom and dad are his king and queen.”
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Meanwhile the DHS spokesperson said on social media that its intelligence assessments “go well beyond just gang affiliate tattoos.” She further added that Andry’s own social media indicates that he is a member of the violent gang.
