Gay Venezuelan Makeup Artist Deported By Trump Administration To Supermax Prison In El Salvador Against Judge’s Order

A 23-year-old makeup artist was among hundreds of Venezuelan men deported to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) prison without due process last week.

Lindsay Toczylowski, co-founder and president of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, recounted how her client disappeared on the Rachel Maddow Show.

Andrys, whose last name is being withheld for his safety, traveled to the U.S. seeking asylum but was detained when immigration officials associated his tattoos with gang affiliation.

“These are not the tattoos of somebody who is involved with gangs. These are normal tattoos that you would see on anybody at a coffee shop anywhere in the United States or Venezuela,” said Andrys’ attorney.

Last week, Andrys was forcibly removed from the U.S., violating a judge’s order to keep him and 250 other men in the U.S. until further legal review.

Andrys’ mother told Venezuelan news outlet Cronica Una that the family believed he would be deported to Venezuela. Instead, he was sent to CECOT and has not spoken to his family or attorneys since.

“They will not facilitate communication with our client, because he has, in their words, been removed,” Toczylowski told Maddow.

Toczylowski expressed her concerns about Andrys’ safety at the 40,000-capacity prison complex, where people are typically held without trial and living in brutal conditions.

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Article by Janae Antrum