Judge Dismisses Andry José Hernández Romero’s Asylum Case Aiding the Government's Attempts to Disappear Him

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   

May 29, 2025 

Press Contact:  media@immdef.org, 213-634-2186   

Judge Dismisses Andry José Hernández Romero’s Asylum Case Aiding the Government's Attempts to Disappear Him 

DHS continues to evade due process for gay Venezuelan man who fled persecution to seek asylum in the United States  

SAN DIEGO, CA -- On May 27, 2025, one day prior to a scheduled court hearing, Immigration Judge Paula Dixon granted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s motion to dismiss asylum proceedings for Andry José Hernández Romero. Andry is a 32-year-old Venezuelan man imprisoned - at the U.S. government’s direction and expense - at El Salvador’s notorious CECOT mega-prison. Andry is a gifted makeup artist and actor who came to the United States in 2024 seeking asylum from persecution in Venezuela related to his sexual orientation and political beliefs.  DHS claimed Andry’s tattoos connect him to the Tren de Aragua gang but never afforded Andry or his legal team the opportunity to rebut the baseless allegations in court. Andry has no criminal history in his home country or the United States.  

Today marks 75 days since Andry and more than 250 other men were forcibly rendered to the CECOT torture facility where they have been held completely incommunicado with no access to lawyers or family. ImmDef will seek an appeal of this dismissal to the Board of Immigration Appeals and will continue its advocacy to bring Andry back to the United States to receive the due process he is owed. Andry is a lead plaintiff in the ACLU’s and Democracy Forward’s J.G.G. v. Trump case, which is seeking the return of Andry, and all the men unlawfully disappeared under the Alien Enemies Act.  

Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) President and CEO, Lindsay Toczylowski, released the following statement in response to the latest development in Andry’s immigration case:  

“DHS is doing everything it can to erase the fact that Andry came to the United States seeking asylum and he was denied due process as required by our Constitution. We should all be incredibly alarmed at what has happened in Andry’s case. The idea that the government can disappear you because of your tattoos, and never even give you a day in court, should send a chill down the spine of every American. If this can happen to Andry, it can happen to any one of us.  

The dismissal of his asylum claim is not the end of Andry’s story. Andry’s life depends on us holding the Trump administration accountable for what they have done to him. The fight for justice for Andry, our seven other ImmDef clients imprisoned at CECOT, and all the men unjustly disappeared continues with renewed determination today. We will continue to fight until Andry is safe and free.” 

###