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 US. His controversial policies have filled the country's prisons with deportees, many of whom claim wrongful detention.

Recent footage from the prison, which Bukele refers to as a "terrorism confinement centre," shows rows of detainees packed into overcrowded cells, their heads shaved and bodies clad in identical jumpsuits.

Hernández’s mother, Alexis Dolores Romero de Hernández, has pleaded for her son’s release.

“Review his case file. He is not a gang member. Everyone has these crowns, many people. But that doesn’t mean they’re involved in the Tren de Aragua,” she said, referring to a notorious criminal organization. “He’s never had problems with the law.”

Melissa Shepard, the US lawyer representing Hernández, has condemned the deportation, calling her client “very sweet, kind, and thoughtful.” She argued that he was caught in the crossfire of an administration eager to demonstrate a tough stance on immigration.

This case raises concerns about the potential for wrongful deportations as the US continues its aggressive immigration enforcement strategy.

Editor: Muhammad Isah Ramat

Thursday, April 3, 2025

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