Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representatives Young Kim (CA-40) and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) introduced a bipartisan resolution to call for the immediate release of Eyvin Hernandez, a United States citizen and Los Angeles County public defender who was wrongfully detained by the Venezuelan regime in 2022.
Rep. Kim urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken for an update on Eyvin Hernandez’s status in an April 2023 Foreign Affairs Committee hearing and steps the State Department is taking to ensure his safe return home.
“Eyvin has been wrongfully detained by the Venezuelan regime for over a year. It’s past time to bring Eyvin home,” said Congresswoman Kim. “This resolution will send a unified message from Congress for our support for Eyvin and his family as we call on the Biden administration to act. I am proud to join Rep. Kamlager-Dove in this bipartisan effort.”
“I stand in solidarity with Eyvin and the Los Angeles County community and call on the Administration to do whatever is required to secure Eyvin’s freedom,” said Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove. “Every day that passes without Eyvin is pain that his loved ones should have never had to endure. I will always keep fighting to bring Eyvin home.”
“It has been more than 15 months since my son, Eyvin, has been wrongfully detained by the Venezuelan regime. My heart breaks every day because of the injustice of his captivity, and the suffering it causes,” said Pedro Martinez, Eyvin’s father. “President Biden holds the key to my son’s release. I ask him to meet with me and Eyvin’s friends while we are in Washington, D.C. I have made this request to the President many times before, but there has been no offer of a meeting with him. It makes me sad and mad.”
“My family and brother, Eyvin, deeply appreciate Representatives Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Young Kim, Joaquin Castro, and Nanette Barragán for supporting the resolution being introduced today,” said Henry Martinez, Eyvin’s brother. “And the dozens and dozens of members who have expressed support for him in the past. For him, the resolution is a symbol of our love for him, and proof he is not forgotten – proof that Eyvin needs now more than ever – as efforts to secure his freedom have stalled.”
“As a representative of the Bring Eyvin Home Coalition, I too am grateful that this resolution is being introduced in support of Eyvin’s release from captivity,” said Gladdys Uribe, Eyvin’s friend from law school. “Eyvin has always done the right thing to fight for vulnerable people, support them, and uplift them. For the 20-years I have known Eyvin, he has used his understanding of morality, and all the tools in the toolbox to help people. Today, we ask congressional members to support this resolution and Eyvin, and we ask President Biden to use all the tools in the toolbox to bring him home. In brief, President Biden, please make the deal necessary to free Eyvin.”
Background:
In March 2022, Eyvin Hernandez went on a two-week vacation to Colombia. A friend invited him to Cucuta, Colombia, and when asking for directions, they were told to walk down a dirt road and saw no signs indicating entry to Venezuela. A man asked him to pay a $100 bribe to cross to Venezuela, to which Eyvin told him he was an American and didn’t want to enter. After not paying the bribe, he was accused of being a spy, kidnapped, and has since been held in a maximum-security military prison under charges by the Venezuelan government of criminal association and conspiracy. The U.S. classified Eyvin as “wrongfully detained in late October 2022.
Eyvin is a dearly loved son, brother, uncle, colleague, and friend. Born in El Salvador in 1978, Eyvin came to the United States as a toddler with his family fleeing the Civil War and grew up in the Los Angeles Area. He attended El Camino College before transferring to UCLA, where he received his bachelor’s and law degree. Eyvin joined the L.A. County Public Defender’s Office in 2006, where he has worked throughout his career in addition to his involvement in many community organizations.
