Topline
Andry Hernandez Romero, a gay, Venezuelan makeup artist deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration last month, cried for his mother as prison guards manhandled him and shaved his head, according to a photojournalist who witnessed the intake process—as Andry is reportedly among dozens of men taken to the notorious Salvadoran prison who have no criminal records.
A prison officer guards a cell at maximum security penitentiary CECOT (Center for the Compulsory … More
Key Facts
Romero’s lawyer, Lindsay Toczylowski, identified him in an image photographer Philip Holsinger took as Romero knelt and prayed while his head was shaved during intake at El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center in March.
Holsinger told CBS he heard Romero shout “I’m innocent” and “I’m gay” as guards slapped him: “He started praying and calling out, literally crying for his mother,” Holsinger said.
Romero, 31, was seeking asylum in the U.S. for persecution in Venezuela for being gay and his opposition to the Venezuelan government when he was deported to El Salvador with 237 other Venezuelan migrants on March 15 flights a judge ordered to turn around.
The Trump administration has claimed all of the men are members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, but lawyers and family members for multiple men reject the assessments, while CBS News found no criminal records for 75% of the men.
Lawyers for the Trump administration said Romero’s tattoos of crowns—which Toczylowski said are above the names’ of his mother and father—are evidence of his Tren de Aragua affiliation, along with social media posts, though a CBS review of a decade’s worth of Romero’s social media found no such indications.
Tangent
The Trump administration has until 12:59 p.m. Monday to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland father the government said it mistakenly deported to El Salvador. Despite an ICE official admitting Abrego Garcia was deported due to a “clerical error,” The White House has insisted it has credible evidence to prove he is a member of the MS-13 gang. His lawyer has said the only evidence is a statement from a confidential informant who said he belongs to MS-13’s outpost on Long Island, despite never having been to New York.
Key Background
The Trump administration deported the 238 migrants to El Salvador on March 15 hours after Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a special wartime authority that allows officials to eject some migrants without court proceedings. Almost simultaneously, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered the administration to pause the Act from taking effect and turn the flights around—leading to a heated weeks-long court battle between the White House and Boasberg as the judge investigates whether the administration defied his order. The Trump administration has argued Boasberg did not have the authority to supersede an executive order and that his written order did not have the same instructions as his verbal directive to return the planes. Justice Department lawyers have repeatedly resisted Boasberg’s request for information about when the flights departed U.S. soil and the administration’s reasoning for deporting the migrants.
Further Reading
What To Know About Andry: 31-Year-Old Makeup Artist Falsely Deported To El Salvador Prison, Lawyer Says (Forbes)
Judge Boasberg Thinks There’s ‘Fair Likelihood’ Trump Administration Violated Court Order With El Salvador Flights (Forbes)
White House Doubles Down On Erroneous Deportation Of Maryland Dad (Forbes)
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