LGBTQ+ And immigrant rights advocates have expressed a mix of relief and anger after learning about gay Andri Hernandez Romero Venezuela Asylum seekers who have disappeared into one of the world’s most infamous prisons Trump Management has been released El Salvador And after over four months of silence, secrets and rage, he returned to Venezuela. However, his supporters warn him that he is not safe as he first leaves Venezuela and escapes persecution due to sexual orientation.
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“We’ve confirmed he’s in Venezuela,” said Lindsay Tozzi Lawski, executive director of the Immigration Defenderslow Centre. Supporters Friday night. Immdef has provided legal representatives to Hernández Romero since his deportation in March.
Related: Andry Hernández Romero, gay asylum seeker disappeared by Trump, part of prisoner swap
Hernandez Romero, 31, was one of more than 250 Venezuelan men sent to Secott, El Salvador’s largest security prison. This is a centuries-old wartime law that has been historically armed to stop working from home compared to modern forced camps under the Trump administration’s call for alien enemy law. Despite seeking protection from anti-LGBTQ+ violence in Venezuela, Hernandez Romero was deported to El Salvador. There he was detained without contact for 125 days.
“We’ve been fighting to free Andree, our other clients and all the men at CECOT for over four months,” Toczylowski said. statement Friday. “We are very relieved that most of them appear to be free from the torture prisons that the US government sent to them, and we may soon be reunited with our families. But as an American and as a lawyer with a deep belief in the rule of law and the legitimate process, my heart remains heavy.”
Related: John Lovett and Tim Miller “raising hell” for gay asylum seekers who have disappeared into El Salvador by Trump
“So, while we’re grateful, they won’t torture another night in El Salvador,” she continued.
Gay California US Rep. Robert Garcia, Democrat A ranking member of the House Oversight Committee said on social media on Friday that his team was working on the Hernandez Romero case. “We’ve been in touch with Andry Hernandez Romero’s legal team and they’ve made sure he’s out of Secott and back to Venezuela. We’re grateful that he’s alive and working with both the State Department and his team,” Garcia said.
In a follow-up video recorded from the airport on Saturday afternoon, Garcia said he was in active contact with both the legal team and the US authorities to ensure Hernandez Romero’s safety within Venezuela, where he first escaped persecution. “We checked it. We saw the photos. I’ve been talking to his lawyer.”
He reiterated that the US government was responsible for Hernandez Romero’s detention and transfer to El Salvador. “When we gave him that appointment, we were that, [who] I took him into custody and sent him to that horrible prison until yesterday without evidence of life,” he said. “I’m really sad to see what’s going on. It’s not just him, it’s others.” He vowed to continue action to protect Hernandez Romero and others affected by his policies.
“We’re working on this case,” Garcia said. “We will do everything we can to protect him and make sure he has the right to his due process, but most importantly, ensure he is in fact safe.”
Gay Democrat New York US lawmaker Richie Torres has donated to fundraisers to benefit gay detainees, calling for the cruelty that the Trump administration has dealt with asylum seekers. “It really saved Andrey’s release from CECOT, but he should never have been deported to begin with. He escaped for fear of persecution as a gay man, and sent him to one of the world’s most infamous prisons without any reason beyond profiling. “He has all the right to return to the US and owes an apology from the White House.”
Human Rights CampaignHe joined legal advocates and organizers to demand the return of Hernandez Romero, saying his release provided “both relief and anger.”
“For a long time, this country has been a sign of hope and a safe port for those craving freedom. But the Trump administration has torched our values and used people like Andree as pawns in their quest for power,” HRC President Kelly Robinson said on Saturday. “Andry doesn’t need to put his head in Salvador’s glug tonight, that’s welcome news, but he wouldn’t have been exposed to unknown horrors in that prison.
Related: Hundreds of people, the Supreme Court’s request, have called for Trump back.
“We are in a constitutional crisis. We are working on a reckless regime that is terrorizing vulnerable people to overturn the rule of law and integrate power,” Robinson said. LGBTQ+ People, and basic civil liberties, are not irrelevant. They are coordinated attacks on freedom and justice. ”
Hernandez Romero became the face of a growing resistance movement after losing to CECOT. meanwhile WorldPride in Washington DCin June, the HRC joins the immigrant defender, protesting in response to Save America, votes, and a coalition of allies. US Supreme Court.
That day, one of the protesters, Bullwalk Columnist and podcast host Tim Miller, former Gay Republican Party The strategists also co-hosted a fundraising show for the joint pod Save America-Bulwark for immigrant defensemen. On Friday night, Miller responded to the release of Hernandez Romero.
“What we did is sick,” Miller said. “What we did to these men is sick. 125 days. We can’t imagine the trauma they experienced.” He added that the Trump administration is effectively engaged in “hospital swaps” and “what Russia did to Britney Griner – lure random civilians, accidentally detaining them, and using them for prisoner exchanges.”
He warned that denial of US government involvement rang hollughlow. “They’ve been lying all the time. The United States is in control here,” he said.
Related: Rick Grenell’s unfair diplomacy loses Marco Rubio’s Venezuelan prisoner contract
Friday’s release of Hernandez Romero was not a result of a legal victory, but a prisoner exchange that was delayed several weeks by turmoil within the Trump administration. As Supporters Previously reported Secretary of State Marco Rubio was negotiating a structured exchange with the Venezuelan government that would return American hostages and political prisoners. However, Gate Trump envoy Rick Grenell, acting outside of official channels, offered Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro a side deal that included weakening Chevron’s oil rights, Rubio’s talks and halting the swap.
Eventually, the detainee was released from CECOT, but was not permitted to return to the United States. They were deported to Venezuela instead.
Related: Christa Noem is still alive whether the Gay Asylum Seeker was deported to El Salvador’s “Hell Hole” prison
Robinson pledged to continue action. “As LGBTQ+ Americans, where many identify as immigrants, we recognize this pattern and are in a steady position with Andri, the immigrant community and everyone whose freedom is being attacked,” she said. “And we are grateful to the team at the Immigration Defenderslow Centre. He continues to tirelessly strive to bring justice to Andry and countless other immigrants like him.”
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include a statement from Rep. Richie Torres.
Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
