‘Entire town’ welcomes back gay makeup artist after release from notorious El Salvador prison
Andry José Hernández Romero has been reunited with his family and community in Venezuela. (X/@Mariananduque)
Andry José Hernández Romero has been reunited with his family and community in Venezuela. (X/@Mariananduque)
A gay makeup artist who was deported to a prison in El Salvador after seeking asylum in the US has been tearfully reunited with his family and friends.
Andry José Hernández Romero, who entered the US legally last year having fled anti-LGBTQ+ violence in his homeland, was sent back to Venezuela as part of a prisoner-swap deal. He had been deported after showing up for a government interview.
US officials accused him of having ties to violent gangs, based on his tattoos, despite lawyers saying he had no criminal record.
Romero had been in the prison, known as CECOT, for 125 days. The El Salvador facility has a stark reputation for anti-LGBTQ+ violence and deeply inhumane conditions.
‘His entire town was waiting for him’
On Wednesday (23 July), Romero was tearfully reunited with his parents in Capacho Nuevo, Venezuela.
Melissa Shepard, the director of legal services at the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, said: “His entire town was waiting for him, preparing a meal.”
Photos of Romero with his mother and father show him wearing a crown, his arms wrapped around them both, as he kisses his father on the forehead.
Another shot captures people clapping as he looks down at flowers and a cake decorated in the colours of the Venezuelan flag.
A video on X shows a teary Romero hugging members of his community, who crowd around him to welcome him back.
Andry Hernández, oriundo de Capacho, quien estuvo durante cuatro meses detenido en la cárcel de máxima seguridad de El Salvador se reencuentra con su familia #Táchira #23julio pic.twitter.com/D1J1RarmDg
— Mariana Duque (@Mariananduque) July 23, 2025
Shepard has said that the non-profit law centre is determined to hold the government accountable and the Trump administration.
“These men survived 125 days in a torture prison, and we don’t believe that anybody else should have to suffer the same fate.”
‘Using human beings as pawns’
Lindsay Toczylowski, president and CEO of Immigrant Defenders Law Center, said: “What happened here is a dangerous travesty of justice. We have long known that the allegations that the men at CECOT were members of a dangerous gang were baseless. We know the Trump administration denied them due process and sent them to a prison notorious for abuse and torture.”
Toczylowski described the prisoner swap as “using human beings as pawns,” concluding: “While the Trump administration escalates their use of authoritarian practices meant to intimidate people into submission, we will keep fighting for justice for immigrants and for the future of our country.”
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