Andry Hernández Romero: From Asylum Seeker to Survivor of Torture in Custody
Background: Fleeing Persecution
Andry José Hernández Romero, a gay makeup artist from Venezuela, left his home country in 2024 to escape targeted persecution for his sexual orientation and political views. He undertook a dangerous journey through the Americas, eventually applying for asylum in the U.S. at the border near San Diego. Despite following all legal steps, he was detained by U.S. authorities, initially reassured his mother that conditions were “fine, just stuck in here,” and awaited a pending asylum hearing12.
Sudden Deportation and Disappearance
Hernández Romero’s situation changed drastically when he was suddenly deported under the Trump administration’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. He and over 200 other Venezuelan men were flown to El Salvador and placed in the infamously harsh CECOT mega-prison, which had been constructed to house violent gang members and where reports of systemic abuse and rights violations were already rampant324.
Horrific Conditions and Allegations of Torture
Upon his eventual release and return to Venezuela in July 2025, Hernández Romero described his time in CECOT as “an encounter with torture and death.” He and other deported Venezuelans allege they were:
- Physically abused: Beaten with batons, sustaining broken ribs, fingers, and toes. Many emerged with visible injuries and marks from handcuffs and rubber projectiles used by guards34.
- Psychologically tortured: Confined for weeks in “dark cells,” cut off from contact with family and legal counsel, unable to access any outside support54.
- Sexually assaulted: Hernández Romero publicly stated he was sexually abused during his detention6.
- Denied basic needs: Given spoiled food, deprived of medical attention, and forced to endure unsanitary and humiliating conditions64.
- Subjected to dehumanization: Guards imposed further suffering, including verbal humiliation and forced isolation, common in the institution4.
He told journalists, “Many of our fellows have wounds from the nightsticks; they have fractured ribs, fractured fingers and toes, marks from the handcuffs,” and described seeing other detainees similarly harmed34.
Legal and Political Fallout
The deportation and the treatment Hernández Romero suffered sparked outrage among human rights organizations, LGBTQ+ advocates, and immigrant legal defenders, who all emphasized the lack of due process. U.S. and Venezuelan officials initiated investigations into the allegations, and the case has become emblematic of the dangers vulnerable asylum seekers face in the global migration system67.
Advocacy groups and Romero’s legal team continue to call for accountability, stating that “these men survived 125 days in a torture prison, and we don’t believe that anybody else should have to suffer the same fate”47.
Conclusion
Andry Hernández Romero’s harrowing account exposes the severe dangers faced by asylum seekers sent to foreign prisons without due process. His testimony has intensified calls for protections for LGBTQ+ migrants and broader reforms to ensure asylum rights and humane treatment for all in custody346.
Sources:
- https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/4/7/2315196/-Beyond-comprehension-in-a-free-country-Legal-asylum-seeker-sent-to-brutal-Salvadoran-jail
- https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/28/americas/romero-venezuela-deported-us-salvador-intl-latam
- https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/venezuelan-makeup-artist-returns-home-describes-torture-during-el-salvador-2025-07-23/
- https://www.advocate.com/news/andry-hernandez-romero-cecot-torture
- https://www.democracynow.org/2025/6/27/andry_jose_hernandez_romero
- https://www.dw.com/en/venezuela-says-us-migrants-were-tortured-in-el-salvador/a-73361289
- https://www.eriegaynews.com/news/article.php?recordid=202508hrcandryhernandezreleased
- https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/gay-makeup-artist-andry-hern-161135374.html
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- https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/gay-makeup-artist-tearfully-reunited-with-family-after-release-from-notorious-el-salvador-prison
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- https://www.nysenate.gov/print/pdf/node/12063953
- https://www.advocate.com/news/andry-hernandez-romero-cecot-free
- https://perezhilton.com/gay-makeup-artist-in-el-salvador-prison-camp-despite-no-gang-ties-andry-hernandez-romero/
- https://www.immdef.org/blog/andryasylumcase52925
- https://www.instagram.com/p/DMdoN8rxzRi/
- https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.278436/gov.uscourts.dcd.278436.102.8.pdf
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- https://www.businessoffashion.com/news/beauty/venezuelan-makeup-artist-returns-home-describes-torture-during-el-salvador-detention/
- https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-05-29/inmates-in-el-salvador-tortured-and-strangled-a-report-denounces-hellish-conditions-in-bukeles-prisons.html
- https://www.ebar.com/story/154141/News/Editorial:%20We%20must%20all%20advocate%20for%20Andry%E2%80%99s%20release
- https://www.outinperth.com/andry-hernandez-romero-released-from-el-salvador-prison/
- https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-03-26/the-rampant-abuse-in-el-salvadors-prisons-they-beat-him-to-death-in-the-cell-and-dragged-him-out-like-an-animal.html?outputType=amp
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2Cmsz_b7S4
- https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/4/7/2315196/–Beyond-comprehension-in-a-free-country-Legal-asylum-seeker-sent-to-brutal-Salvadoran-jail
- https://www.instagram.com/p/DMRTFihgUtU/
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- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xafrqEcjfXU
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/22/venezuela-to-probe-el-salvadors-bukele-for-torture-of-us-deportees
