{"id":2486,"date":"2026-05-22T10:41:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T10:41:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/22\/venezuelan-makeup-artist-who-was-deported-to-el-salvador-seeks-asylum-in-spain-i-feel-safe-here\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T10:41:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T10:41:30","slug":"venezuelan-makeup-artist-who-was-deported-to-el-salvador-seeks-asylum-in-spain-i-feel-safe-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=2486","title":{"rendered":"Venezuelan makeup artist who was deported to El Salvador seeks asylum in Spain: \u2018I feel safe here\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"6514cbca-71c6-4ef6-875e-72a4e52303a0\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"An older woman and a younger man stand together.\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/13af47d1b712c00fc6ef44ce16c8ac38dbbcfbb2\/0_0_6000_4000\/master\/6000.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"310\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Hern\u00e1ndez attends mass with his mother, Dolores Alexis Romero de Hern\u00e1ndez, in Capacho, T\u00e1chira state, Venezuela, on 24 July 2025.<\/span> Photograph: Federico Parra\/AFP via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"6514cbca-71c6-4ef6-875e-72a4e52303a0\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Hern\u00e1ndez attends mass with his mother, Dolores Alexis Romero de Hern\u00e1ndez, in Capacho, T\u00e1chira state, Venezuela, on 24 July 2025.<\/span> Photograph: Federico Parra\/AFP via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">Venezuelan makeup artist who was deported to El Salvador seeks asylum in Spain: \u2018I feel safe here\u2019<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-b3fmmo\">\n<p>Andry Jos\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez Romero was deported from the US to El Salvador\u2019s notorious Cecot prison before he was allowed to return to Venezuela<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><span style=\"color:var(--drop-cap);font-weight:500\" class=\"dcr-15rw6c2\">O<\/span>ne of the Venezuelan men <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/mar\/16\/deportation-alleged-gang-members-el-salvador\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">sent from the US<\/a> to El Salvador\u2019s most notorious prison by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Donald Trump<\/a> has moved to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/spain\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Spain<\/a> to request asylum after concluding that he did not feel safe back home and did not trust US authorities sufficiently to return to fight his legal case.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Andry Jos\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez Romero left <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/venezuela\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Venezuela<\/a> for Spain in early February and is due for his first asylum hearing in court there in a few days, hoping that the country\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/news\/audio\/2025\/feb\/27\/has-immigration-turbocharged-spain-economy-podcast\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">liberal approach<\/a> to immigration will afford him kinder treatment than the US or his own country had provided him, he revealed to the Guardian in his first interview since leaving for Europe.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The 33-year-old hairstylist and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/apr\/01\/its-a-tradition-outrage-in-venezuela-as-us-deports-makeup-artist-for-religious-tattoos\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">makeup artist<\/a> originally came to the US from his home in western Venezuela to escape persecution as a gay man and the risks of opposing the government of its then president <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/nicolas-maduro\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Speaking in a video call fromsouthern Spain, Hern\u00e1ndez is still recovering from the trauma of his experiences in Venezuela, the US and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/el-salvador\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">El Salvador<\/a>, but expressed optimism about his new surroundings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cI can say I feel safe here, this is a place where I can be reborn, heal my mental health, let people know about my abilities as a makeup artist and find the happiness they took away from me more than a year ago,\u201d he said in the interview conducted in Spanish.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Hern\u00e1ndez gained global attention last year when he and 252 other Venezuelan migrants were abruptly deported from the US <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/dec\/28\/cecot-el-salvador-venezuela-immigration\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">without due process<\/a> or any word to their families, and in defiance of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/mar\/17\/trump-judge-venezuela-deportations-el-salvador\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">a judge<\/a>, and flown by the Trump administration to the brutal mega-prison for alleged terrorists in El Salvador <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/mar\/20\/trump-deportations-venezuela-prison\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">known as Cecot<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"5b5849a4-6d85-4292-8fcf-29354417e9f6\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Hands hold signs that read \u2018prison without due process is a concentration camp\u2019 and \u2018bring Andry home\u2019 with a picture of the makeup artist.\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/cb89dce72c7d3d67b88543e4b98f0b3465275307\/0_0_6000_4001\/master\/6000.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.7408333333333\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"5b5849a4-6d85-4292-8fcf-29354417e9f6\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Protesters demand the release of immigrants outside the permanent mission of El Salvador to the UN on 24 April 2025 in New York City.<\/span> Photograph: Michael M Santiago\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Images of the bewildered and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/mar\/19\/venezuelan-deportations-families-trump\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">terrified group<\/a> being roughed up and having their heads shaved, and then lined up on the ground with bowed heads, flashed around the world, a new symbol of the returning US president\u2019s harsh anti-immigration <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/ng-interactive\/2025\/sep\/10\/trump-globalx-airline-deportation-immigration\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">agenda<\/a>. They were held incommunicado for months in cages and initially given no prospect of release under allegations of having ties to a Venezuelan gang, which Hern\u00e1ndez and the others vehemently denied.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">International human rights groups <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2025\/11\/12\/us\/el-salvador-torture-of-venezuelan-deportees\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">found<\/a> Hern\u00e1ndez and the other detainees faced psychological and physical abuse, including cases of sexual violence, before they were suddenly released in a prisoner swap last summer and returned home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/apr\/01\/its-a-tradition-outrage-in-venezuela-as-us-deports-makeup-artist-for-religious-tattoos\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Hern\u00e1ndez<\/a> received a jubilant reception. He began trying to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/aug\/04\/andry-jose-hernandez-romero-makeup-artist-venezuela\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">rebuild his life<\/a>, and he told the Guardian he initially promised his family he would never leave Venezuela again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">However, after a few weeks he began fearing for his life once more after a knock on his family\u2019s door in T\u00e1chira.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cI had received a call from the vice-president\u2019s office and I was offered a job, which I declined, and then they came to my house and my family had to tell them I wasn\u2019t there,\u201d Hern\u00e1ndez said. He had actually hidden during the visit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">He explained that before the vice-president\u2019s office could even specify the kind of job it wanted him to do, he refused it. It was August 2025 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/delcy-rodriguez\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Delcy Rodr\u00edguez<\/a> ran the office. He didn\u2019t want to have ties to a government that had persecuted him as a gay man, he said, and having officials coming to the house just made him convinced he was going to be surveilled by the authorities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">He was back home, surrounded by his family, feeling protected during a time that he had expected to be a rough transition into society, back at work and even making new friends.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Months later, Rodr\u00edguez <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/jan\/05\/venezuela-delcy-rodriguez-trump\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">was sworn in<\/a> as the acting president of Venezuela following <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/jan\/03\/explosions-reported-venezuela-caracas\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">the capture<\/a> of Maduro by the US military. Around the same time, Hern\u00e1ndez made up his mind.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThat\u2019s when I made the decision to come to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/spain\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Spain<\/a>,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"161a9d48-8961-471b-bc69-c7eb89fb2fb8\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-3\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A man sits at a desk in front of a computer\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/51ba35e5d849c3674084665a7c561fda02816f35\/0_0_6000_4000\/master\/6000.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.66666666666663\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-3\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"161a9d48-8961-471b-bc69-c7eb89fb2fb8\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Hern\u00e1ndez takes a video call at his home in Capacho, T\u00e1chira state, Venezuela, on 24 July 2025.<\/span> Photograph: Federico Parra\/AFP via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">He has some relatives there and Venezuelans do not require a visa to enter Spain, while those fleeing persecution are allowed to request asylum.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cI have heard that Spain is a country with open policies towards immigrants and the LGBTQ+ communities and that they don\u2019t experience discrimination,\u201d said Hern\u00e1ndez. He feels secure and optimistic about making another fresh start.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In March 2025, the Trump administration <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/may\/01\/alien-enemies-act-judge-ruling-texas\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">controversially invoked<\/a> the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to order the expulsion of Hern\u00e1ndez and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/mar\/03\/man-deported-tattoos-cecot-el-salvador\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">136 other men<\/a> who ended up in Cecot. Hern\u00e1ndez was accused of being a member of the Venezuelan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/apr\/27\/what-is-tren-de-aragua-trump-venezuela\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">gang Tren de Aragua<\/a>, which Trump designated a terrorist group and bizarrely accused of staging an invasion of the US.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">It didn\u2019t matter that Hern\u00e1ndez had explained to immigration officials that he had fled Venezuela due to persecution stemming from his sexual orientation. His crown tattoos above the names of his parents were deemed proof of gang affiliation. He has denied the charge throughout his ordeal and his attorneys noted he has no criminal record.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Lindsay Toczylowski, co-founder of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef), who is acting as Hern\u00e1ndez\u2019s lawyer, said that in nearly two decades of helping asylum seekers from around the world fleeing violence, she had \u201cnever been in a situation where it was not safe for a client to seek protection in the US\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The US federal judge James Boasberg <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/feb\/14\/venezuelan-illegally-deported-return-fears\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">ordered<\/a> the Trump administration to facilitate the return of the men deported under the Alien Enemies Act to El Salvador and allow them to receive the due process that he ruled they had been denied. But most recently, a court of appeals <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2026\/04\/14\/boasberg-contempt-appeals-deportations\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">blocked<\/a> Boasberg from investigating whether the Trump administration knowingly defied his order from March 2025 to return the planes carrying Hern\u00e1ndez and the other Venezuelan deportees.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cFrom a legal perspective, we believe that it\u2019s important for him to clear his name if he wants to travel to the US in the future. But from a moral perspective, he was accused with absolutely no evidence of being part of something that he has never had anything to do with. No one should be accused of something like that without any option to refute the allegations,\u201d said Toczylowski.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThere are no immediate options available for him [and the others] to finally have their day in court and be able to clear\u201d their names, she added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In Spain, where Hern\u00e1ndez now waits for his first asylum interview, scheduled for the end of this month, officials have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/apr\/22\/spain-champions-migrations-benefits-with-regularisation-scheme-but-queues-are-long\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">defied<\/a> the increasingly harsh immigration policies being embraced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2023\/sep\/17\/italian-pm-warns-migration-an-issue-for-all-of-europe-on-lampedusa-visit\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">in Europe<\/a> and the US. Earlier this year, the Spanish prime minister, Pedro S\u00e1nchez, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/jan\/27\/spain-decree-regularise-undocumented-migrants\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">announced<\/a> that Spain would grant legal status to roughly 500,000 migrant workers, most from Latin America.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"c9981857-e7f6-459c-8d28-2cc7f2b29f83\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-4\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A father and son embrace each other\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/e2a857e58d1a9cbc8ace8a63d641dc2bc4e1d111\/0_0_5184_3456\/master\/5184.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.66666666666663\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-4\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"c9981857-e7f6-459c-8d28-2cc7f2b29f83\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Hern\u00e1ndez greets his father, Luis Felipe Hernandez, after returning to Venezuela on 23 July 2025.<\/span> Photograph: Johnny Parra\/AFP via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Spain has a strong record of taking in immigrants, especially Venezuelans seeking international protection, like Hern\u00e1ndez.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">According to numbers shared by the Spanish government with the Guardian, Venezuelans made up the highest number of requests for international protection there in 2025. And up to 30 April this year, more than 25,000 Venezuelans have sought asylum in Spain.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Hern\u00e1ndez said he is still marked by the trauma he endured during his time at Cecot. For example, when someone approaches him and simply taps him on the shoulder, his mind jumps back to the prison. He still wants to clear his name, though, but doesn\u2019t know how to do so at the moment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Remarkably, he said: \u201cI don\u2019t hold a grudge against the US. I can\u2019t judge an entire country based on the actions of a group of people like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Donald Trump<\/a> [or] Kristi Noem, but entering the US at this time doesn\u2019t guarantee I will keep my freedom and that is why I will continue to fight my case from Spain.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cRecovering my happiness will only be possible at the right place with the right people.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/usimmigration\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US immigration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/trump-administration\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Trump administration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/kristi-noem\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Kristi Noem<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/spain\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Spain<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/europe-news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Europe<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/venezuela\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Venezuela<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/features\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">features<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Venezuelan%20makeup%20artist%20who%20was%20deported%20to%20El%20Salvador%20seeks%20asylum%20in%20Spain:%20%E2%80%98I%20feel%20safe%20here%E2%80%99&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/22\/venezuelan-makeup-artist-cecot-spain-asylum?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F22%2Fvenezuelan-makeup-artist-cecot-spain-asylum&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/22\/venezuelan-makeup-artist-cecot-spain-asylum\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hern\u00e1ndez attends mass with his mother, Dolores Alexis Romero de Hern\u00e1ndez, in Capacho, T\u00e1chira state, Venezuela, on 24<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2486"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2486\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}