Two Men, No Justice: The U.S. Is Disappearing Immigrants Into Foreign Prisons

A gay asylum seeker was deported for tattoos that say “Mom” and “Dad.” A father was torn from his family despite a judge’s order. Congress must act before more lives are shattered.

What would you do if someone came to your door, tore your spouse, away in front of your children, ignored a court order to protect him, and disappeared him into a foreign prison?

What would you do if your son, your friend, or your partner, who is openly gay and seeking asylum from violence, was falsely branded a terrorist and shipped to a concrete tomb in another country—without a hearing, without a lawyer, and without even a chance to say goodbye?

These aren’t hypotheticals. This is happening right now in the United States under the Trump-Vance administration.

The Story of Andry Hernández Romero

Andry is a gay Venezuelan makeup artist who entered the U.S. legally and passed his initial asylum screening. He had no criminal record. But last month, he failed to show up for a court hearing—and one week later, was gone.

His lawyers weren’t told. His family wasn’t told. He was quietly deported to El Salvador and imprisoned in the same facility as Kilmar.

Why? According to ICE and its private contractor CoreCivic, he’s affiliated with the gang Tren de Aragua. The evidence? Two tattoos labeled “Mom” and “Dad.” No joke.

The determination was made by a CoreCivic employee who had previously been fired from the Milwaukee Police Department for misconduct. This is the person our government trusted to brand a man a gang member and vanish him into a foreign hell.

Andry has not been heard from since. He told a photographer from Time magazine, “I’m not a gang member. I’m gay. I’m a stylist,” before breaking down, pleading for his mother, and being slapped and shaved.

The Story of Kilmar

Kilmar entered the U.S. fleeing political violence in Venezuela. He had been granted protection from deportation by a U.S. immigration judge. That should have been the end of it.

But instead, ICE agents ignored the judge’s order. They kidnapped him from his Maryland home, leaving behind his American wife, and all three of their special needs children, and forcibly deported him to El Salvador.

He was taken to CECOT, the country’s infamous mega-prison, a facility that human rights observers say is closer to a gulag than a penitentiary. It’s a place where 150 people are packed into rooms with just six square feet of space each. There are two toilets. No mattresses. No phone calls. No lawyers. No sunlight.

And no reason he should be there—except raw authoritarian cruelty.

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Lisa Graves, my co-host on the online show The Five 8 1/2 details the hell hole that Trump has illegally sent immigrants to and plans to send Americans who criticize him. We can’t look away.

This is more than a tragedy. It is a warning.

The Trump-Vance administration has turned the immigration system into a weapon. They're using private contractors to do their dirty work. They're ignoring courts. They're skipping trials. They’re vanishing people—and burying them alive in foreign prisons.

This isn’t “tough on crime.” It’s state-sponsored terror.

And they’re doing it to build a narrative:

They are using these deportations not as legitimate law enforcement, but as propaganda. They're crafting a political narrative that paints immigrants as criminals and any opposition as weak. They're using flimsy, absurd “evidence” to justify cruelty and daring anyone (even the US Supreme Court) to challenge it.

Some lawmakers are taking concrete steps to challenge these unlawful deportations. Senator Chris Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador to meet with Kilmar Abrego Garcia and continues to press for his return. Representatives Robert Garcia and Maxwell Frost have called for a congressional delegation to visit the prison where Andry Hernández Romero is being held, signaling growing oversight and accountability. Their leadership reinforces the urgent need to uphold due process and human rights in every immigration case.

🗣📞 Call Your Members of Congress
Use the Capitol switchboard to be connected to your representative or senators: 202-224-3121

Tell them:

• You want immediate oversight hearings on illegal deportations and CECOT.

• You demand the return of Andry Hernández Romero and Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the U.S.

• You oppose the use of private contractors like CoreCivic in immigration enforcement.

• You support legislation that restores due process protections for asylum seekers.

🔍 Not sure who represents you?
Look them up here: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

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✍️ Sign and share petitions organized by immigrant rights groups like Immigrant Defenders Law Center and RAICES.

📲 Post about Kilmar and Andry. Use their names. Tell their stories. Tag your elected officials. Use hashtags like:
#FreeKilmar #FreeAndry #NotInOurName #AbolishCoreCivic #StopTheDisappearances

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This isn’t just about immigration. It’s about what kind of country we’re becoming. If we allow this, we lose more than two men. We lose our soul.

And if we stay silent, it won’t stop with them.