Latest news with #AndryHernandezRomero
NBC News
5 days ago
- NBC News
Judge dismisses asylum case for gay makeup artist deported to Salvadorian prison
A judge has dismissed an asylum case for Andry Hernandez Romero, a gay makeup artist who was deported to a prison in El Salvador. Hernandez Romero was deported based on the government's contention that his tattoos linked him to a Venezuelan gang. NBC News' David Noriega has more on the decision. May 30, 2025
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Activists, local leaders in West Hollywood protest deportation of Venezuelan makeup artist seeking asylum
The deportation of a gay Venezuelan makeup artist seeking asylum has prompted outcry from the LGBTQ+ community in West Hollywood as city leaders and activists gathered to protest Wednesday night. Supporters rallying for Andry Hernandez Romero, 31, said he had no criminal history and was escaping persecution for various reasons, including his sexuality. He arrived at the U.S. border at a legal port of entry with an appointment and asked for asylum. However, he was detained and held for several months before being deported and transferred to a maximum security prison in El Salvador. The notorious prison, named the Terrorism Confinement Center, houses some of the world's most dangerous criminals, including mass murderers and gang members. The facility is also known for its uncompromising policies and harsh conditions, according to a CNN report. Loved ones said Romero was falsely accused of having gang ties. He and other Venezuelans were deported from the U.S. after President Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act, claiming the men were members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang, according to CBS News. Loved ones said Romero was deported without a fair hearing. The last time they spoke with him was from a U.S. detention facility on March 14. After he was moved overseas, he has not been heard from since. 'Andry, a gay Venezuelan man seeking asylum, came to this country believing in the promise of safety and dignity,' said Joe Hollendoner, CEO of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. '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,' said Lindsay Toczylowski, Romero's attorney. His attorneys are demanding that U.S. officials act quickly to review Romero's case and address the serious threats to his safety as a gay man residing in an overseas prison. '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,' said Toczylowski. Man detained by federal immigration agents in Pomona released from custody Philip Holsinger, a photojournalist with 60 Minutes, visited the El Salvador prison and happened to witness Romero as he and a large group of inmates arrived. Romero could be heard shouting, 'I'm innocent!' and was crying as his head was shaved. All prisoners are forced to kneel down while prison guards shave their hair before being transported to their cells. 'He was being slapped every time he would speak up,' Holsinger told 60 Minutes. 'He started praying and calling out, literally crying for his mother.' 'The egregious denial of his rights, the grave violation of due process and the clause in the 14th Amendment that we are all guaranteed in this country — this should anger and upset us all,' said Chelsea Byers, Mayor of West Hollywood. Community activities and local leaders are urging federal officials to intervene and bring Romero back to the U.S. for a fair hearing. There are reports that Governor Gavin Newsom is now involved after making a direct appeal to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on behalf of Romero. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The U.S. rounded up my parents during World War II. Trump is reviving that cruelty
The United States government incarcerated my parents and grandparents during World War II. They were American citizens of Japanese descent who were forced from their homes, stripped of their dignity and imprisoned behind barbed wire. They suffered this treatment not because of their actions, but because of their ancestry. Wartime policies like Executive Order 9066 and the Alien Enemies Act allowed the government to lock up more than 125,000 Japanese Americans based on suspicion and ancestry alone. No charges. No due process. No justice. Now, 80 years later, we are watching history repeat itself. Today, people like my family — people who have not been charged with any crime — are again being rounded up without due process. President Trump has revived the Alien Enemies Act as part of a broader push to consolidate executive power, bypass the courts and remake the presidency in his own image. Hundreds of noncitizens have been deported under this law to El Salvador's infamous CECOT prison, a place known for its inhumane and brutal conditions. The Trump administration alleges that all of these men are criminals, but a '60 Minutes' investigation could not find criminal records for 75% of them. Those without criminal records include Andry Hernandez Romero — a gay makeup artist who applied for asylum after facing discrimination in his native Venezuela. His supposed connection to a violent gang largely rested on the fact he had a handful of crown tattoos. But his friends and family say the tattoos simply reflect his deep affection for his hometown's Three Kings Day festival. Even Joe Rogan, the provocative podcast host and Trump supporter, was appalled at Romero's detention and called for his release. These people are being sent to a hellish place, without even the chance to defend themselves. And instead of expressing remorse or concern, President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem are celebrating it. Noem, wearing a $50,000 Rolex, posed in front of shackled prisoners like they were big game trophies. It is inhumane and illegal. Last week, the Supreme Court reminded us of what the Constitution demands: All people on U.S. soil — citizen or not — are entitled to due process. Justices from Antonin Scalia to Ruth Bader Ginsburg have long agreed on this principle. Reflecting that ideological consensus, the court unanimously ruled that noncitizens deported under the Alien Enemies Act must be informed when it is being used against them and granted hearings before removal. But let's be clear: This ruling was necessary only because the Trump administration ignored those principles in the first place. And while the court affirmed those rights, it also continues to allow the Trump administration to use the Alien Enemies Act. That law, written in 1798 amid paranoia and fear, is a vestige of a shameful past. It was wrong when it was used against Japanese Americans like my parents in the 1940s. It is wrong now. The danger is not theoretical. The Supreme Court also ordered that the White House 'facilitate' the return to the U.S. of another detainee at the prison, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who the administration admitted was wrongfully deported to El Salvador. But instead of complying, the Trump administration has defied the Supreme Court's order. Adding insult to injury, it just rolled out the red carpet for El Salvador's authoritarian leader, Nayib Bukele — who is also refusing to assist in bringing Mr. Abrego Garcia home. This is more than a deportation scandal. We are on the edge of a full-fledged constitutional crisis, engineered by Trump to test the limits of presidential power and the resolve of our democracy. The American people must not look away or let this government undertake these actions in our name. We cannot allow fear to override due process or let suspicion stand in for justice. We cannot normalize cruelty, lawlessness or the spectacle of human beings used and abused for political gain. When the government abandons constitutional rights for some, it endangers those rights for all. I know what happens when that line is crossed. My family lived it. And I will not stand by while it happens again. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Immigration attorney: ICE prosecutors have ‘no idea' of deported makeup artists' status
Makeup artist Andry Hernandez Romero was deported by the Trump administration last month over one of his tattoos. Lindsay Toczylowski, President of the organization backing Romero in court, joins The Weekend to discuss the efforts to bring him home.
