Andry Hernandez Romero, a gay makeup artist who sought asylum in the United States last year, is among 238 Venezuelan migrants who were flown to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador three weeks ago under a new deportation deal brokered by President Trump.
The deportations come as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua. A deal between the U.S. and El Salvador’s president now permits deportees to be sent to the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT.
According to CBS News, relying on the rarely used Alien Enemies Act—last invoked during World War II—the administration justified the deportations by labelling the migrants as terrorists and violent gang members.
However, lawyers and relatives of those deported have raised concerns, telling 60 Minutes they have had no contact with the detainees since their arrival in El Salvador.
“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,” Lindsay Toczylowski, Hernandez Romero’s lawyer, said.
According to Toczylowski, Hernandez Romero fled Venezuela last May after being targeted due to his sexuality and political opinions. He journeyed north through the treacherous Darien Gap, eventually reaching Mexico and securing an appointment to seek asylum in the U.S. at a legal crossing near San Diego. He was taken into custody while his application was being processed.
Toczylowski stated that he had a compelling asylum case.
“And the government had found that his threats against him were credible and that he had a real probability of winning an asylum claim,” Toczylowski said.
Despite this, Hernandez Romero was not present for a scheduled court hearing last month. Instead, he was transported in shackles to El Salvador along with others. His legal team was unaware of his whereabouts until recently.
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Photographs by Time magazine’s Philip Holsinger captured images of Hernandez Romero at CECOT. Holsinger reported hearing a young man declare, “I’m not a gang member. I’m gay. I’m a stylist,” before being slapped and having his head shaved. The man was crying out for his mother.
“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,” Toczylowski said.
She expressed deep concern over his wellbeing.
“We have grave concerns about whether he can survive,” Toczylowski said.
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