Three congresswomen from Southern California introduced a resolution on Tuesday, urging for the immediate release of Eyvin Hernandez, a Los Angeles County public defender who has been imprisoned in Venezuela for over a year. Representatives Sydney Kamlager-Dove and Nanette Barragán, both Democrats from Los Angeles, teamed up with Republican Representative Young Kim from Orange County and Representative Joaquin Castro from Texas to call on the Venezuelan government to free Hernandez. The resolution describes his imprisonment as unjust and wrongful, a sentiment also echoed by the U.S. State Department.
Hernandez, who has worked as a deputy public defender in L.A. County for 15 years, was on vacation in Colombia when he accompanied a friend to the Colombian-Venezuelan border to resolve a passport issue. At the border, they were detained by either a paramilitary group, a gang, or official Venezuelan forces, based on different reports. Subsequently, they were handed over to Venezuelan security forces and incarcerated in a high-security prison in Caracas. Hernandez is facing charges of criminal association and conspiracy, which carry a maximum penalty of 16 years in Venezuelan prisons.
Representative Kamlager-Dove, who represents the 37th Congressional District where Hernandez resides, expressed her solidarity and called on the Biden Administration to take necessary action to secure his release. She emphasized that the daily suffering endured by Hernandez’s loved ones should not continue, and she vowed to keep fighting for his return. Representative Barragán, Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, called Hernandez’s ongoing detention in Venezuela unacceptable, and stated that it is time for him to come home. She insisted that Hernandez had no intention of entering Venezuela and that the charges against him have been proven false.
Both congresswomen stressed the compromised state of the Venezuelan judicial system, highlighting the unlikelihood of a fair trial or just outcome for Hernandez. They urged President Biden and his administration to utilize all available means to secure his swift release. Representative Kim, Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific, expressed her support for Hernandez and his family, endorsing the resolution as a unified message from Congress. She commended Representative Kamlager-Dove for leading this bipartisan effort.
Despite efforts from the State Department’s Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Hernandez’s release has not been achieved yet. The resolution denounces the lack of serious effort by the Venezuelan judicial system to provide legitimate evidence or hold proper trial proceedings, emphasizing the fabricated grounds for Hernandez’s detention. It also condemns the Venezuelan regime’s use of detentions for political purposes against U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.
This congressional resolution follows actions taken by the Los Angeles City Council and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in support of freeing Hernandez. In June, the City Council approved two motions calling on President Biden and the State Department to take necessary actions. Furthermore, in December 2022, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass joined Representative Barragán and other congressional representatives in a joint letter to President Biden, urging his administration to work towards securing Hernandez’s freedom.
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