The LGBTQ community is keeping the case of a gay makeup artist extrajudicially removed from the United States to a notorious Salvadoran prison front and center. Meanwhile, a Southern California Pride celebration has heeded the call of LGBTQ leaders to name the man, Andry Jose Hernández Romero, as an honorary grand marshal of their event.
In San Francisco, a protest will be held in the Castro neighborhood Saturday, April 26, at noon to advocate for the release of Hernández Romero, 31. It’s being organized by Michael Nguyen, a gay man who is on the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee (the governing body of the local party). Nguyen, an attorney, introduced and shepherded to passage this week a resolution at the DCCC meeting condemning the extrajudicial renditions of Hernández Romero and other immigrants.
Nationally, several members of Congress traveled to El Salvador this week, following the visit by U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), who was able to visit Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a constituent of his who is also being held there. The delegation wanted to see Abrego Garcia but was unable to do so.
Gay Congressmember Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach), who was on the trip, was able to get a commitment from William Duncan, the U.S. ambassador to El Salvador, that the embassy would look into Hernández Romero’s case, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“For the first time since Mr. Romero has been essentially kidnapped and sent to this prison, the embassy did acknowledge the actual case, and they did agree that they are going to actually inquire about his health and wellness, which no one had done up to that point,” Garcia told the paper.
Hernández Romero, 31, was featured on CBS News’ “60 Minutes” on April 6. He was one of 238 Venezuelan migrants flown to the Counter-Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, in El Salvador several weeks ago after the Trump administration made an agreement with Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele to house them there. Human Rights Watch reports that the prison is the site of human rights abuses.
Hernández Romero had been detained in a San Diego immigration jail since last year, when he crossed the U.S.-Mexico border to attend a pre-arranged asylum hearing in the Southern California city, the Daily Mail reported.
Castro protest
The protest will be held at Jane Warner Plaza, at Castro and Market streets.
“We should all have the freedom to exist without fear of being rounded up,” Nguyen told the Bay Area Reporter.
“We must protect the bedrock, fundamental, constitutionally-protected right to due process at all costs,” Nguyen stated. “Public pressure is one of the tools we have left, so we must show the rest of the country that San Francisco Democrats stand for freedom.”
Other organizations that have signed on include Oasis Legal Services and the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club.
“We are really honored to be able to support this rally and protest because Andry’s life is in extreme danger,” Rachel Kafele, a bisexual woman who is the director of programs and advocacy at and a co-founder of Oasis. “They were kidnapped from the U.S. and are now being imprisoned in El Salvador in a prison known for human rights abuses. Being an LGBTQ community member, they’re even more vulnerable. We know LGBTQ people in detention face sexual violence, physical violence, segregation and extreme danger.”
Milk club Co-President Melissa Hernandez, a queer and bi woman, stated, “Our club has long stood with immigrants and we call on our representatives, from local to federal, to everything in their power to stop the wrongful deportations of students, activists, and any other people rounded up for no apparent reason like Andry Hernández Romero. Our hearts are with all families affected by this administration’s cruelty.”
Speaking at the event will be Nguyen; Honey Mahogany, a Black queer trans person who is director of the city’s Office of Transgender Initiatives; Bill Hing, the founder of the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and professor of law and migration studies at the University of San Francisco; and Xochitl, an undocumented immigrant drag queen.
“We can openly kiss who we kiss, hug who we hug and love who we love, out in the open!” Xochitl stated to the B.A.R. “Andry did not have that privilege! He escaped his home country because he was targeted because he was gay. That being the main reason why he sought asylum.
“We must use our privilege here in San Francisco so that he and people like him are afforded the same privileges we hold,” Xochitl continued. “He’s a member of our community and when one member of the queer community is disappeared we all must stand up.”
Hing stated to the B.A.R., “Andry Hernandez Romero's right to apply for asylum under U.S. and international laws has been violated. He should immediately be returned to the United States and accorded due process rights that even the Supreme Court has recognized for those who were sent to El Salvador under the pretext of the Alien Enemies Act.”
At least two protests have been held at the Salvadoran Consulate in San Francisco, as the B.A.R. reported. The consulate has not returned a request for comment for this report.
The SF DCCC passed Nguyen’s resolution April 23. Nancy Tung, a straight ally who is chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party, stated to the B.A.R. that, “The Trump administration has shown an unfettered willingness to trample people’s rights with no due process and no fidelity to the law. The resolution was a collaborative effort between members of the party to unanimously denounce the deportation of Andry Jose Hernández Romero and Kilmar Abrego Garcia. As Democrats we must stand up for the most marginalized communities and the rule of law.”
The Trump administration alleged that the migrants sent to CECOT are members of the Tren de Aragua gang. (CBS News could not find U.S. criminal records in 75% of the cases.)
In Hernández Romero’s case, the government argued in court that crown tattoos he had were evidence of gang affiliation. Hernández Romero has a crown tattoo on each wrist, with the words “Mom” and “Dad.” His hometown of Capacho, Venezuela is known for its celebration of Epiphany, the Christian holy day when three wise men visited Jesus Christ.
Time magazine photographer Philip Holsinger told CBS News that he was at the prison site when the migrants arrived, and that he heard a young man say, "I'm not a gang member. I'm gay. I'm a stylist." He was crying for his mother while he was slapped and had his head shaved, Holsinger said.
Hernández Romero left Venezuela in May 2024, citing his political views and homosexuality as reasons to seek asylum. Venezuela is run by a dictator, Nicolás Maduro, whom the U.S. contends illegally claimed the presidency of the country after losing an election.
The B.A.R. reached out to Hernández Romero’s attorneys but has not heard back. They contend their client is innocent.
Congressional letter and visit
Joining Garcia on the trip to El Salvador were Democratic Congressmembers Maxwell Frost (Florida), Yassamin Ansari (Arizona), and Maxine Dexter (Oregon). They also wrote a letter April 21 to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Duncan demanding access to Hernández Romero. Duncan sent a formal inquiry to the government of El Salvador asking about Romero’s well-being. The delegation traveled at its own expense.
“As a gay man, Mr. Hernández Romero is at particular risk of persecution if deported or imprisoned in El Salvador, a country where LGBTQIA+ people can face ‘torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, excessive use of force, illegal and arbitrary arrests and other forms of abuse, much of it committed by public security agents,’” the letter states, citing Human Rights Watch.
“Mr. Hernández Romero has no criminal record, and the United States Government has presented no evidence of crimes he has committed,” the letter reads. “… We therefore request your assistance in facilitating access to legal counsel for Mr. Hernández Romero and access by Members of Congress for a proof of life and wellness check as soon as possible. Additionally, we respectfully request a briefing by personnel from the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador on the State Department’s efforts to facilitate Mr. Hernández Romero’s access to legal counsel and release from custody.”
Garcia’s staff stated that they could not arrange an interview with him before next week. Asked if the letter received a response from Rubio, spokespeople stated April 23 that they had not.
SoCal Pride names migrant grand marshal
As the B.A.R. previously reported, longtime gay activists Cleve Jones and Nicole Murray Ramirez requested Pride organizations in the U.S. make Hernández Romero an honorary grand marshal this year. San Francisco Pride declined to do so, and announced several other grand marshals April 22.
However, Max Dispoti, a gay man who is the founder and executive director of the North County LGBTQ Resource Center in Oceanside (San Diego County), told the B.A.R. that Hernández Romero will be an honorary grand marshal at the center’s Pride by the Beach, which is June 7.
“Celebrating Pride in a time when the Trump administration has targeted us and is targeting the asylum seekers we see it as our obligation to bring the conversation in community and making sure people don't forget what's happening,” Dispoti said. “The stance we are taking is really clear … We want due process. Everyone has the right to due process. Even criminals have the right to due process, and this is something the administration is not doing and it’s causing panic.”
Dispoti said that it’s a message of solidarity with many people who make San Diego County their home.
“We have a lot of binational people who are terrified about what’s happening,” he said. “A lot of LGBTQ people we serve in Oceanside are in that limbo, waiting for their asylum to be processed. Mixed families. We provide a lot of services to our folks coming here in different ways, so we felt it was imperative to bring the spotlight.”
Dispoti said Pride by the Beach typically draws 20,000-25,000 people, and he hopes larger Pride organizations “bring this up, and bring up the name of this person who is still hostage.”
Murray Ramirez, a San Diego city commissioner and the titular head of the Imperial Court, stated to the B.A.R. that, “It is so important that our LGBTQA+ keeps a focus on Andry Jose Hernández Romero as his life could depend on it. We are grateful for the Pride organizations that are considering making him their honorary grand marshal.”
Jones said in a phone call that he is “getting messages every day from people. They [Pride organizations] have their own processes trying to make it happen.”
He also stated after hearing the news about Pride by the Beach, “Many thanks to Pride by the Beach, let's all do what we can to shine a light on the unjust and cruel treatment of Andry Romero!”
Legal tangle
In addition to Hernández Romero, the extraordinary renditions also include Abrego Garcia, whom the Trump administration is not facilitating the return of in an apparent contravention of a 9-0 order of the United States Supreme Court.
(Extraordinary rendition refers to the state-sponsored removal of a person to another country to circumvent American laws. This is distinct from deportation, when a person in the U.S. without legal basis is removed, usually to their country of origin.)
Abrego Garcia’s case has enormous implications for America’s long-standing traditions of habeas corpus and due process, spelled out in the U.S. Constitution. The Fifth Amendment states that, “No person shall be … deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” (Notably, this applies to all people in the U.S., not to American citizens only.)
The Trump administration is arguing in the Abrego Garcia case that since it sent him to El Salvador he now lies beyond the court’s jurisdiction, and Bukele, the country’s president, has refused to return him. Though the Trump administration initially conceded that Abrego Garcia had been taken there mistakenly, President Donald Trump has joined Bukele in accusing Abrego Garcia of being an MS-13 gang member, and terrorist, respectively.
While Abrego Garcia was accused of being a gang member in 2019, which led to an arrest while he was working as a day laborer, he was neither charged nor convicted of a crime and is married to an American citizen. He also had a permit from the Department of Homeland Security to legally work in the country.
Other California political leaders are also speaking out.
Former Senate President pro Tempore and 2026 gubernatorial candidate Toni Atkins (D), a lesbian who used to represent San Diego in the Legislature, stated that, “The cruelty is this administration’s point – and so is their steady dismantling of a legal system that protects us all.”
“Everyone in this country – regardless of immigration status – deserves due process and equal protection under the law,” she stated. “When the federal government violates that promise on which our country was founded, it puts all of our rights at risk.”
LGBTQ Agenda is an online column that appears weekly. Got a tip on queer news? Contact John Ferrannini at [email protected]
Updated, 4/24/25: This article has been updated to in include protest organizer Bill Hing's professional ties.
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