'Is being gay a crime?' Venezuelan makeup artist rebuilds life after 125 days in El Salvador prison

['Staff Writer', 'Gabriela Oráa', 'Andrea Castillo Covers Immigration. Before Joining The Los Angeles Times', 'She Covered Immigrant', 'Ethnic', 'Lgbtq', 'Communities For The Fresno Bee. She Got Her Start At The Oregonian In Portland. A Native Of Seattle', 'She S Been Making Her Way Down The West Coast Since Her Graduation Washington State University.', 'Photography By'] Los Angeles Times 2025-09-11 00:00:00

When a door slammed shut in the childhood home of Andry Hernández Romero, he wasn’t just startled. “Before I was Andry the makeup artist, Andry the stylist, Andry the designer,” he said. Congressional Democrats traveled to El Salvador to push for information about the detainees and came back empty-handed. Hernández Romero shows the crown tattoos that U.S. authorities claimed linked him to the Tren de Aragua gang. AdvertisementA prisoner is moved by a guard at the Terrorist Confinement Center, a high-security prison in Tecoluca, El Salvador, on March 26.