Andry Hernndez Romero, the gay Venezuelan makeup artist who was swept up earlier this year in the Trump administrations massive and indiscriminate immigration crackdown, spoke out in an interview this weekend with the Bulwarks Tim Miller.Hernndez Romero unwarranted removal to El Salvadors notorious CECOT mega-prison in March sparked an outpouring of support and rage from the LGBTQ+ community and Democrats.I really have no words to thank you for all the love you have shown me, he told Miller. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today What struck me most about the conversation was his unbelievable mercy and forbearance in the face of this awful trauma, the out podcast host said in his introduction.Hernndez Romero arrived in San Diego from Venezuela last August, and was held at a detention facility while his asylum case was evaluated. He was found to have a legitimate claim of persecution based on his sexual orientation, but was later declared by the Trump administration to have tattoos associated with the Tren de Aragua terrorist gang a claim which was later disproven as untrue. He and more than 250 detainees were sent to CECOT in March.After 125 days held in the notorious prison and an immigration judge dismissing his asylum claim in absentia Hernndez Romero was removed from El Salvador to Venezuela in July in a prisoner swap exchanging the 252 detainees held at CECOT for 10 Americans in custody in Venezuela.Hernndez Romero is now at home there, living with his family.The 32-year-old said he was initially led to believe that he was being deported to Venezuela, when in fact he was headed to CECOT.It turns out it was all a lie. They did it on a Saturday when courts were closed, he recounted.It was only after arriving at CECOT that he learned it was one of the most dangerous prisons in the world.What am I doing here? Why am here?' he asked himself.He was told by his companion prisoners that anyone who entered CECOT would never get out and they may even die together.The key to surviving, he said, was holding on to God.Really for us, there was not a day that we didnt pray.ICE officials determination back in the U.S. that Hernndez Romero was a gang member was absurd, he said.The crowns represent that the kings are for me, he said of his tattoos. They are my pillars. And it is also like a tribute to a theatre which I belong to.Despite the evidence in my hands, including documentation of his career and abuse in Venezuela, officials wouldnt believe him. They just labeled me as a gang member and kept me in detention.Did they think you were the hairdresser for Tren del Agua? Like, what were they thinking? Miller asked.It was a little crazy, he agreed, describing years doing makeup, beauty pageants, theatre, and radio, and no evidence of any affiliation with gangs in his home country.Hernndez Romero said he was aware that his sexual orientation could be difficult for his prison mates to adapt to, so he said he made a concerted effort to adapt to them.I preferred to adapt to the way they were, to how they think, to how they see life. So that made the camaraderie and the co-existence healthier, he said.We entered as 252 strangers and he left as 252 brothers, he said. We share a connection.Hernndez Romero said hes in touch with many of his fellow 252 detainees, and is even booked for several of their weddings to do makeup for their brides.People from both my country and other countries have been spectacular, he said. The affection they have shown me in their messages, everything has been very, very beautiful.He did confirm, however, instances of physical and sexual abuse at CECOT, but declined to go into detail at his lawyers suggestion, pending any legal action he may take. Still, he displayed compassion for those involved.Because you have to put yourselves in the shoes of the people who were detained there, who were beaten, physically and psychologically abused, and who endured four months of total exile.Lets be more empathetic, he said. Lets be more humane.Of the support hes received from Americans, Hernndez Romero said, I really have no words to thank you for all the love you have shown me. And all I can say is, may God reward you. God bless you.Here there is a Venezuelan who loves the United States.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.