Andry Hernández Romero: From Deportation To Lgbtq+ Advocacy

“It’s so wonderful to see you, thank you for desiring to have this conversation,” he claimed. In Hernández Romero’s case, that suggested removing a gay asylum hunter to a country he had never lived in and leaving him at the mercy of a system made to squash those it identified enemies.

Deportation Under Trump Era Policies

On March 15, he was deported under the Trump management’s revived use of the Alien Enemies Act, a centuries-old wartime legislation historically used to restrain or deport immigrants en masse. He had no connections to El Salvador and was sent there without a hearing. Hernández Romero just recently informed The Barrier’s Tim Miller that ICE officers existed to detainees concerning their location, hosting delays in Honduras before landing in San Salvador late on a Saturday, when united state courts were shut, “the best day to take us out of the country,” he stated. Once off the aircraft, “They started hitting and kicking us … between two policemans, they dragged us down the staircases.”

It was a routine that masked the reality: guys living under consistent surveillance, with guards reminding them that they could never ever leave. “They told us we would pass away there, that we would spend more than 20 years condemned as terrorists,” he informed The Supporter.

Imprisonment and Psychological Impact

For Hernández Romero, release really did not remove the damage done to him or his family members. “We served 2 sentences,” he said. “The one we sustained in that heck, and the one our parents dealt with a locked up discomfort that just ended when they saw us return.”

“I never ever pictured my name, my picture, my tale would certainly be so influential in the United States,” he claimed. “I never thought a big component of the American area would identify with the issue we were dealing with. It feels extremely lovely to be that spokesperson for lots of, to let them recognize they are not alone, that the community is always there.”

Advocacy and a Voice for the Voiceless

Andry Hernández Romero lights up when he chats about Italian food. “I like pasta,” he claimed, resting at his moms and dads’ home in Capacho Nuevo, in the Venezuelan state of Táchira, on the boundary with Colombia. The 32-year-old gay Venezuelan makeup artist has made it through things that would certainly damage many individuals.

The months within, Hernández Romero stated, left a long-term imprint. “I found out a great deal of persistence, something I really did not have before,” he stated.

Tomorrow will certainly be a new day for you,” that Hernández Romero enabled himself to hope. In the early hours of July 18, guards purchased the 252 Venezuelan men deported from the U.S. to strip to their boxers and gave them minutes to shower. Still, no one understood where they were headed, Hernández Romero stated.

Prior To El Salvador, Hernández Romero had actually already endured months in united state immigration apprehension, first in California, after that in Texas, after going across the border legitimately at the San Ysidro port of entrance in August 2024 to participate in an asylum consultation making use of the Biden management’s CBP One app. He had taken off oppression based on his political beliefs and sexual orientation. He was detained promptly, and within a week, officials accused him of belonging to the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang based entirely on two tattoos: the words “mama” and “daddy” with a crown.

Toczylowski told The Supporter in July that the political fact of the U.S. makes it unlikely he will be safe there. He may ultimately discover a home in Europe. “We have churches in Spain and the Netherlands and Canada connecting to us, offering to support him, offering to take him in if we can obtain him out,” she said in April.

He was processed into CECOT, where he would certainly spend the following four months under conditions that human rights teams have called excruciating. The last time any person from the united state saw him was when a Time photojournalist caught his arrival, when guards shaved his head and he fearfully proclaimed, “I’m gay,” while calling out for his mom. He had been gone away.

State Setting up member Tony Simone holds a picture of Venezuelan make-up artist Andry Hernández Romero as he objects against the expulsion of immigrants to El Salvador outside the Permanent Objective of El Salvador to the United Nations on April 24, 2025 in New York City.Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

In the U.S., Hernández Romero’s instance had actually ended up being a cause for protestors, legislators, and day-to-day Americans that saw in him a sign of both injustice and durability. His face showed up on banners at Pride occasions, on posters held aloft outside the U.S. Supreme Court. His tale was told on national television and podcasts by reporters and advocates.

Hernández Romero does not dwell on vengeance or anger. Rather, he’s focused on gratitude for the coalition that defended him, for his household’s toughness, for the strangers that saw his face and decided his life mattered.

“I value them, and they appreciated me,” he said. “Before being gay, I am a man. I can adapt to their discussions concerning football, auto mechanics, and motorcycles, equally as they paid attention when I mentioned other points. No one went across any type of lines.”

For Hernández Romero, the recognition had not been concerning celeb; it had to do with link. Everyone who stopped him was a reminder that the fight to complimentary him had actually resonated much beyond united state boundaries, which he had not been strolling alone.

Even after shedding all his specialist supplies throughout his apprehension, Hernández Romero’s enthusiasm for make-up creativity remains undimmed. When speaking concerning his favorite items, he still lights up. Restoring his kit is part of his strategy to restore his life, an action toward coming to be, as he put it, “the Andry packed with shades, filled with shine, the Andry who aids those in need.”

“I belong to the LGBTQ+ neighborhood, to the diversity,” he stated. “From day one, I asked for respect, and I gave regard.”

He has always been open concerning his sexuality, he stated, yet recognizes numerous can not express themselves due to the preconception and the saying of “what will certainly people claim.” Now, he hopes to use his new system to fight that silence, funneling it into a structure and other tasks so they can “expand and be successful.”

Christopher Wiggins is The Supporter’s elderly nationwide press reporter in Washington, D.C., covering the crossway of public law and politics with LGBTQ+ lives, consisting of The White Residence, United State Congress, Supreme Court, and government firms. He has written numerous cover story profiles for The Supporter’s print publication, profiling figures like Delaware Congresswoman Sarah McBride, long time LGBTQ+ ally Vice President Kamala Harris, and ABC Good Morning America Weekend break anchor Gio Benitez. Wiggins is devoted to enhancing unknown stories, specifically as the 2nd Trump administration’s plans influence LGBTQ+ (and specifically transgender) rights, and can be gotten to at christopher.wiggins@equalpride.com or on BlueSky at cwnewser.bsky.social; whistleblowers can securely call him on Signal at cwdc.98.

“I enjoy pasta,” he stated, resting at his parents’ home in Capacho Nuevo, in the Venezuelan state of Táchira, on the boundary with Colombia. Hernández Romero recently told The Bulwark’s Tim Miller that ICE policemans lied to detainees concerning their location, hosting hold-ups in Honduras prior to landing in San Salvador late on a Saturday, when U.S. courts were closed, “the best day to take us out of the country,” he said. Still, no one understood where they were headed, Hernández Romero stated.

Fighting for Legal Options and a Safe Home

Detainees awakened between 4:30 and 6:00 a.m. The initial lineup was roll phone call, then a short home window to shower before breakfast. Mornings were frequently filled with Holy bible analysis or whispered tiny seminar, he stated.

Since he’s home, Hernández Romero’s legal representatives are dealing with him to consider his lawful options. In the consequences of a controversial election in 2024, the Venezuelan federal government started cracking down on speech and disfavored teams, consisting of LGBTQ+ people. Advocates caution that under the existing routine, he remains a possible target.

“It’s gratifying to see people take a min from their day to send me a spiritual phrase, a message of love, of assistance,” he claimed. And to the LGBTQ+ area in the U.S., he has a message. “Right here you have a Venezuelan sibling who loves you, too. This fight will take place for a long period of time, but I understand we will satisfy someday,” he said.

Because returning home, Hernández Romero has been redeeming the day-to-day happiness he when took for given. “Every morning, I give thanks to God,” he said. “That’s just how I begin a good day.” He loves to check out, hike into the hills to connect with nature, traveling, invest quality time with friends, and most likely to the movies. “Mainly, I such as to consume, because I have no base. I eat a great deal,” he stated, chuckling. He’s likewise easing back right into makeup work; after his Friday afternoon interview with The Supporter, he had a consultation to do hair and make-up for a customer.

Gratitude and Recovery

Soon, they saw the Venezuelan military aircrafts waiting on the tarmac. A police officer informed them, “You might be in Salvadoran region, yet you are now on Venezuelan soil.

Given that going back to Venezuela, Hernández Romero has been often tending to his physical and mental health and wellness. He is working with his legal group, consisting of Southern California-based Immigrant Protectors Regulation Facility cofounder and executive supervisor Lindsay Toczylowski, to remove his name and to locate a risk-free and irreversible home. The Trump administration had asserted that he and others were “the most awful of the most awful” and should have to be sent to prison forever.

Not long after he got home, Hernández Romero signed up with a procession recognizing the Virgin Mary. He and a pal used shirts with his image and words “Libertad para Andry” or “Flexibility for Andry.” He stated people in the group started to approach him. “You’re the one from CECOT,” they informed him. “You’re the make-up artist. You’re the one from TikTok.”

At the exact same time, the experience exposed a problem he’s still servicing: his perfectionism. As a developer, he made use of to exhaust himself attempting to control every information, from buying materials to stitching garments, and now, he stated, he’s learning to rely on the people in his circle that want the best for him.

For Hernández Romero, the support was greater than symbolic. It was a lifeline. “When a person takes a moment from their life to visit a march, to publish an image, to send a message of love and uniformity, the least I can do is reveal them thankfulness and treat them well in return,” he claimed.

His moms and dads experienced considerably, not recognizing if they would certainly ever before see him once again. He claimed that given that his return, they have started resting, eating, and smiling once again, their psychological health and wellness gradually recouping after months of anguish.

Christopher Wiggins is The Advocate’s senior national press reporter in Washington, D.C., covering the crossway of public law and politics with LGBTQ+ lives, including The White Residence, United State Congress, Supreme Court, and government firms. He has created numerous cover story profiles for The Advocate’s print magazine, profiling figures like Delaware Congresswoman Sarah McBride, long time LGBTQ+ ally Vice President Kamala Harris, and ABC Greetings America Weekend break anchor Gio Benitez. Wiggins is committed to amplifying untold stories, especially as the 2nd Trump management’s policies effect LGBTQ+ (and specifically transgender) legal rights, and can be reached at christopher.wiggins@equalpride.com or on BlueSky at cwnewser.bsky.social; whistleblowers can safely contact him on Signal at cwdc.98.

The months within, Hernández Romero said, left a long lasting imprint.”It’s gratifying to see individuals take a min from their day to send me a spiritual phrase, a message of love, of support,” he stated.