As activists and city officials gathered to protest Wednesday night, the LGBTQ+ community in West Hollywood expressed their outrage over the deportation of a gay Venezuelan makeup artist who was seeking refuge.
The 31-year-old Andry Hernandez Romero had no criminal record, according to supporters, and was fleeing persecution for a number of reasons, including his sexual orientation.
He requested asylum when he arrived at a legitimate port of entry at the U.S. border with an appointment. But before being deported and sent to a maximum security jail in El Salvador, he was arrested and held for a number of months.
Some of the most dangerous criminals in the world, including gang members and mass murders, are housed in the infamous Terrorism Confinement Center prison.
The facility is renowned for its severe conditions and unyielding policies.
Romero was wrongly accused of having gang affiliations, according to loved ones. President Trump used the Alien Enemies Act to remove him and other Venezuelans from the United States, alleging the men were part of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
Romero was deported without a proper hearing, according to loved ones. They last spoke with him on March 14 from a U.S. prison center. He was relocated abroad and hasn’t been heard from since.
“Andry, a gay Venezuelan man seeking asylum, came to this country believing in the promise of safety and dignity,” Joe Hollendoner, CEO of the Los Angeles LGBT Center stated. “Instead, he was met with detention, dehumanization and ultimately deportation.”
“This is the most shocking thing I’ve ever seen happen to a client of ours,” Lindsay Toczylowski, Romero’s attorney stated.
Romero’s lawyers are urging U.S. officials to take immediate action to examine his case and resolve the grave risks to his safety as a gay man incarcerated abroad.
“He suffered as a gay man in an ICE detention center, an ICE prison here in the United States, which gives us great fear for his current condition,” Toczylowski stated.
When 60 Minutes reporter Philip Holsinger visited the prison in El Salvador, he happened to see Romero as he arrived with a sizable contingent of prisoners.
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“I’m innocent!” Romero was crying as his head was shaved, and he could be heard yelling. Before being sent to their quarters, all inmates must kneel as prison guards shave their hair.
Local leaders and community events are calling on federal authorities to step in and return Romero to the United States for a fair trial. After directly pleading with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Romero’s behalf, Governor Gavin Newsom is reportedly now involved.
