Andry Hernndez Romero Released from El Salvador Prison

I seriously wondered whether he was alive, so am very happy to read this.

https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/andry-hern%C3%A1ndez-romero-released-from-el-salvador-prison


Andry Hernández Romero Released from El Salvador Prison
by Brandon Wolf • July 19, 2025
Hernández Romero was among the 250 Venezuelan immigrants released yesterday after months of imprisonment in CECOT
HRC has joined advocates for months in calling for the release and return of Andry and other immigrants wrongfully disappeared to El Salvador


WASHINGTON — Yesterday, Andry Hernández Romero, the gay makeup artist and asylum seeker wrongfully disappeared by the Trump Administration, was released from the notorious El Salvador prison CECOT and sent back to Venezuela. Andry sought refuge in the United States after facing threats due to his sexual orientation in Venezuela. The news comes after months of demands from Andry’s family, his legal team, and advocates to return him to the United States, as well as persistent refusal from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to verify that Andry was still alive.

“The news of Andry’s release brings both relief and anger,” said Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson. “This country has long been a beacon of hope and a safe harbor for those yearning for freedom. But the Trump Administration is torching our values, using people like Andry as pawns in their quest for power. Andry will not have to lay his head down in a Salvadoran gulag tonight, and that is welcome news. But he should have never been subjected to unknown terrors in that prison, his due process rights continue to be denied, and we do not know what awaits him in the country he fled due to persecution for his sexual orientation. We are in a constitutional crisis – grappling with a reckless administration upending the rule of law and terrorizing the vulnerable to consolidate power. The targeting of immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, and basic civil liberties are not unrelated; they are a coordinated assault on liberty and justice. As LGBTQ+ Americans, many of whom identify as immigrants, we recognize this pattern and stand unwaveringly with Andry, immigrant communities – and all whose freedoms are under attack. And we thank the team at Immigrant Defenders Law Center who continue to work tirelessly to bring justice for Andry and countless other immigrants like him.”

Advocates across the country have spent months calling for the release of Andry Hernández Romero, as well as his safe return to the United States to continue his asylum claim. During June’s World Pride activities, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) joined Immigrant Defenders Law Center, Vote Save America, and hundreds of advocates from across the country in hosting a rally on the steps of the United States Supreme Court to demand justice for Andry. Since June, HRC has activated thousands of people at Pride celebrations across the country to contact their federal elected officials asking them to pressure the Trump admin to bring Andry back.

Lindsay Toczylowski, President and CEO of Immigrant Defenders Law Center, who provides legal representation to Andry, released a statement last night:

“We have been fighting to free Andry, our other clients, and all the men from CECOT for more than four months. We are incredibly relieved that it appears most of them have been freed from the torture prison the U.S. government sent them to, and potentially may be reunited with family soon. But as an American, and as a lawyer who believes deeply in the rule of law and due process, my heart remains heavy…So, while we are grateful they will not spend another night being tortured in El Salvador, we also grieve the ongoing and lasting damage being done to our democracy by an administration that is willing to violate our Constitution, U.S. asylum laws, and international law. 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.”



The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ+ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.