Venezuelan Man Wrongfully Deported as US Crackdown Intensifies
A Venezuelan man, Andry José Hernández Romero, has been wrongfully deported to El Salvador after US immigration officers misinterpreted his tattoos as gang affiliations. Hernández, who has a tattoo of a crown on each wrist with the words “Mom” and “Dad,” was detained and placed on a plane to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. However, the tattoos were in reference to the annual El Día de los Reyes Magos (Three Kings Day), a widely celebrated festival in the Spanish-speaking world, rather than any criminal group. US authorities have been aggressively enforcing deportation policies under increased scrutiny, leading to errors such as this case. In their haste, officials misinterpreted not only religious symbols but also dedications to deceased grandparents and references to Spanish football clubs. Family members of those deported have been left searching for their loved ones through videos posted by El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, who has embraced receiving detainees from the...