Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Young Kim (CA-40) joined Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), and family and friends of Eyvin Hernandez to demand his immediate release from the Venezuelan regime.
The members were joined by Eyvin’s father Pedro Hernandez, LA County Deputy Public Defender Drew Havens, and Bring Eyvin Home Coalition Member Gladis Molina.
“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.”
Watch Rep. Kim’s remarks during today’s press conference HERE.
Last week, the members 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.
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.
