Andry José Hernández Romero
Andry Romero Hernandez was born in Venezuela where he participated in the Three Kings Day celebrations that his small town was known for. As a young man, he tattooed two crowns on his wrist with Mom and Dad written above the crowns to memorialize those celebrations and his Catholic roots. Those tattoos appear to have contributed to his detention and deportation to an El Salvadoran prison in March.
Arrival in the US
Andry arrived in the US on August 29, 2024 to attend a scheduled immigration appointment arranged through the CBP app which was established by the Biden administration to create a more orderly process upon arrival at the border. With no criminal record, and a credible fear of persecution for his sexual orientation and political beliefs, Andry passed the preliminary screening. During his physical it was noted that he had three tattoos. In addition to the crown tattoos, he also has a snake extending from a bouquet of flowers up his forearm. The agent interviewing him questioned his tattoos and membership in the Tren de Aragua gang which Andry denied. The agent described his manner as uncooperative and the crowns of the tattoo as a determining factor of reasonable suspicion of gang activity. As a result Andry remained in custody. In December he met Paulina Reyes, a lawyer from the Immigrant Defenders Law Center who took his case pro bono and filed an asylum application. His immigration hearing was set for mid March. About a week before the hearing, Andry was sent to Texas. Reyes was never informed that he was one of the detainees deported to El Salvador.
Concern about Agent who interviewed him
Charles Cross Jr. is the agent who interviewed Andry at his CBP appointment and found him to be affiliated with the Tren de Aragua gang due to his tattoos. It has been learned that Cross, a Sargeant for the Milwaukee Police Department, was fired for driving while intoxicated. He has also been investigated for getting overtime pay for hours he did not work. These factors have contributed to credibility issues regarding his assessment of Andry.
ACLU Update
On Thursday, April 24, 2025, the ACLU added Andry Hernandez Romero as a lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against the U.S. government, seeking to return those imprisoned in El Salvador under a contract deal with the Trump administration.
What can you do?
Sign the Human Right’s Campaign Petition for Andry Hernandez Romero’s release: Click here to sign the petition.
Continue to put pressure on your representatives to demand the release of Andry and other deportees who received no due process afforded to them by the US Constitution before deportation to El Salvador: Click here to find your State Representative; Click here to find your Senator.
Check back here for updates as available
