Democratic U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia and three colleagues traveled to El Salvador to advocate for the safety of Andry José Hernández Romero, a gay Venezuelan asylum seeker deported unlawfully. They urged the Trump administration to ensure his safety and allow welfare checks in CECOT prison, described as a concentration camp. Although officials responded with an unprecedented request for Romero's health, concerns persist over his safety in a system known for brutality against LGBTQ+ individuals. Hernández Romero previously sought protection from violence in Venezuela, having passed a credible fear interview before his dangerous deportation.
In a letter delivered the same day to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Ambassador William Duncan, Garcia and Reps. Maxwell Frost of Florida, Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, and Maxine Dexter of Oregon urged the Trump administration to confirm Hernández Romero's safety and grant members of Congress or his legal counsel access to conduct a welfare check inside El Salvador's infamous CECOT prison, which critics have called a concentration camp or gulag.
Garcia, who is gay, said that U.S. officials had considered his request. 'They did respond to us that they did make an official request to get a proof of life and health and wellness check, which they'd never done before,' Garcia said.
Hernández Romero, 31, had no criminal history and entered the United States legally through the CBP One app to seek asylum from political persecution and anti- LGBTQ+ violence.
His legal team later identified him in footage shared by friends, but concerns about his safety in the notorious prison remain high.
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