Lindsay Teslowski
Appearances
Pod Save America
Trump's Art of the Fold
Well, I can tell you a lot about what we learned before he went, but like you said, I can't say anything about what has happened over the last more than three weeks now because he's been completely incommunicado.
Pod Save America
Trump's Art of the Fold
And that means no journalists, no lawyers, no family members, and even organizations like the International Committee of the Red Cross and others who would normally be able to speak with people in detention have not been able to speak with him or any other detainees that we're aware of.
Pod Save America
Trump's Art of the Fold
um andre came to the us in august of 2024 he was seeking asylum he's a gay man he's a professional makeup artist he worked at a state-run tv station in venezuela he was persecuted there because they wanted him to put up pro-Maduro social media posts. He didn't want to do it. He was actually physically beaten as a result.
Pod Save America
Trump's Art of the Fold
He was also harassed and physically assaulted because of his sexual orientation. So he fled like so many other Venezuelans and came to the U.S. to seek asylum. He initially tried to come in one time and was told that he needed to make a CBP1 appointment, which is this app that during the Biden administration they were asking people to use in order to get asylum. in order to apply.
Pod Save America
Trump's Art of the Fold
And he went to Tijuana, he made that appointment, he waited over a month for that appointment, and then he entered the US. Once he was in the US, he was in ICE detention the entire time. So he's never even been in the United States for one moment as a free person from the moment he crossed at the border until the moment they forced him and disappeared him on a plane to El Salvador.
Pod Save America
Trump's Art of the Fold
Absolutely not. And just, you know, we've now, in researching for his asylum case and doing his declaration and collecting evidence and speaking with his family, you know, I've been asked many times, is it possible that he is, you know, a gay makeup artist masquerading as that when he's really a Tren de Aragua gang member? The truth is, the same could be said about you or about me.
Pod Save America
Trump's Art of the Fold
It's outside the realm of what seems to be possible. And Specifically as a lawyer, I would say they've never presented any evidence that would indicate that that is true.
Pod Save America
Trump's Art of the Fold
All that they submitted were pictures of the crown tattoos on his wrists, which have his mom and dad's name and the crown tattoo, along with an article from Newsweek that says that this imagery, along with many other very common types of tattoos, could mean that someone's Tren de Aragua.
Pod Save America
Trump's Art of the Fold
What we know and what we would have presented had we had our day in court, had he been given any due process, is that Experts have said there are actually no tattoos that indicate someone is a member of this gang. There's no singular tattoo that you could point to.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Maddow: Trump admin shows folly of blind obedience to someone who doesn't know what they're doing
Thanks for having me.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Maddow: Trump admin shows folly of blind obedience to someone who doesn't know what they're doing
That's correct. Names and identities of people have been shared today via a list. And so we know that it is inevitable that our client will be identified. And we feel it's important to let the world know who Andri, our client, is because he is a human being. He is a young professional from Venezuela. He's a makeup artist. He is a gay man.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Maddow: Trump admin shows folly of blind obedience to someone who doesn't know what they're doing
He is someone who came to the United States seeking protection. He came seeking asylum. Upon entry into the United States, he was detained because of his tattoos, some of which you can see in those photos, but these are not the tattoos of somebody who is involved with gangs. These are normal tattoos that you would see on anybody at a coffee shop anywhere in the United States or Venezuela.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Maddow: Trump admin shows folly of blind obedience to someone who doesn't know what they're doing
And today we have confirmation from the government. One of the few groups or attorneys that have confirmation that our client is indeed in El Salvador. You know, our client last week was supposed to appear in court where we would have started the process of refuting the baseless allegations against him. But we never got to have that chance. Our client has been forcibly removed and disappeared.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Maddow: Trump admin shows folly of blind obedience to someone who doesn't know what they're doing
So the only reason we know that our client is in El Salvador is because he was supposed to be in court last Thursday. ICE never presented him. Over the ensuing days, we realized that he was likely part of this group of planes that went to El Salvador. When we went to court on Monday, we were finally told by ICE that it was confirmed he was in El Salvador.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Maddow: Trump admin shows folly of blind obedience to someone who doesn't know what they're doing
In that moment, they said that he was removed to El Salvador. The immigration judge said, how is it possible that he's been removed if there's no removal order? And the ICE attorney that was in the courtroom said, I don't know.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Maddow: Trump admin shows folly of blind obedience to someone who doesn't know what they're doing
The case has been set over, so we do have a hearing coming up in a couple weeks, but ICE has now told us that they will not facilitate communication with our client because he has, in their words, been removed, and that they will not make him available for that hearing in two weeks. So at this point, we are, of course, watching the case closely that is ongoing related to the Alien Enemies Act.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Maddow: Trump admin shows folly of blind obedience to someone who doesn't know what they're doing
And we're pursuing all avenues because our client's life is at risk. We're concerned for his safety. And the fact that he was forcibly taken from the United States with no due process, it's something that really shocks the conscience in a way that we haven't seen since family separation happened in 2018.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Maddow: Trump admin shows folly of blind obedience to someone who doesn't know what they're doing
Thank you.