Andry Hernández Romero: Released from El Salvador prison, but sent back to Venezuela without due process

Andry Hernández Romero, a Californian who sought safety from persecution for being gay in Venezuela, was unjustly detained for over four months in El Salvador’s notorious CECOT mega-prison. CECOT is a facility contracted by the U.S. government for mass incarceration, where due process is nonexistent and brutality and overcrowding are routine.

This weekend, he was released and sent back to Venezuela. Originally deported from the U.S. while at a legal border crossing near San Diego on March 15, 2025, Andry was following U.S. immigration processes and had a “credible fear interview” scheduled. ICE kidnapped and disappeared him, denying Andry his Constitutional right to due process. For months his family and attorneys sought proof of life and confirmation of his location, which the U.S. government never provided. He is now back in the exact same situation in Venezuela he fled from in fear for his safety.

Over 1,000 of our loved ones and neighbors are still being kidnapped and disappeared by ICE every single day in the United States, with Trump and his MAGA fascist regime setting a goal of 3,000 people per day. We demand due process for all! It is a constitutional right of anyone in the United States: citizen, documented, or not.