III 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 320 

Calling 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 March 2022. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 27, 2023 

Mr. PADILLA (for himself and Mrs. FEINSTEIN) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Calling 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 March 2022. 

Whereas, since 2006, Eyvin Hernandez has been a public defender for Los Angeles County, dedicating his career to 

representing the most vulnerable people in the county; 

Whereas Eyvin Hernandez is a man of impeccable character 

and a beloved member of his community, admired by 

many who know him for his deep devotion to justice, respect for humanity, willingness to help others, patience, 

kindness, and intellect; 

Whereas Eyvin Hernandez has volunteered his time to advocate for children in the juvenile justice system, to mentor 


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•SRES 320 IS 

aspiring young lawyers through the Latina Lawyer Bar 

Association and the University of California, Los Angeles 

(UCLA) Law Fellows Program, and to participate in the 

Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Union, Local 148, 

where he previously served on the board of directors; 

Whereas Eyvin Hernandez is an alumnus of the UCLA 

School of Law and of El Camino College, UCLA, where 

he majored in physics and mathematics; 

Whereas Eyvin Hernandez’s family immigrated to the United 

States when he was a toddler, fleeing the civil war in El 

Salvador and seeking a better life; 

Whereas, on March 31, 2022, Eyvin Herndandez was captured by armed, masked men in the vicinity of the Colombia-Venezuela border, and, once his United States 

citizenship was discovered, was transferred to Venezuela 

and detained; 

Whereas the Venezuelan regime charged Eyvin Hernandez 

with criminal association and conspiracy, which could 

lead to 16 years of imprisonment; 

Whereas there has been no serious effort to provide legitimate evidence to corroborate those allegations nor to hold 

trial proceedings to adjudicate his case, highlighting the 

fabricated grounds for Eyvin Hernandez’s detention; 

Whereas Eyvin Hernandez was not included in the October 

2022 prisoner exchange that allowed 7 Americans imprisoned in Venezuela to return home to the United States; 

Whereas, on October 21, 2022, the Department of State designated Eyvin Hernandez as wrongfully detained; 

Whereas, in June 2023, the Special Presidential Envoy for 

Hostage Affairs attempted to secure Eyvin Hernandez’s 

release during a visit to Caracas; 


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•SRES 320 IS 

Whereas, even in prison, Eyvin Hernandez has served as an 

advocate for his fellow detained Americans, translating 

their needs to the guards in Spanish and helping them 

articulate their cases to officials of the Department of 

State; 

Whereas the Los Angeles County community, including Eyvin 

Hernandez’s former mentees, colleagues, classmates, 

friends, and family, have created a coalition to advocate 

for his release, highlight the arbitrary and unjust nature 

of his detention, and continue fighting to bring him 

home; and 

Whereas Eyvin Hernandez is a valued citizen of the city of 

Los Angeles, the State of California, and the United 

States: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) calls on the Venezuelan regime to imme3 diately release Eyvin Hernandez from unjust impris4 onment; 

5 (2) urges all officials of the executive branch of 

6 the United States, including President Joseph R. 

7 Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National 

8 Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and Special Presi9 dential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, 

10 to use all the tools at the disposal of the executive 

11 branch to secure the immediate release of Eyvin 

12 Hernandez; 

13 (3) condemns the Venezuelan regime’s contin14 ued use of detentions of citizens and lawful permaVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:32 Jul 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR320.IS SR320

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•SRES 320 IS 

1 nent residents of the United States for political pur2 poses; 

3 (4) expresses continued support for all citizens 

4 and lawful permanent residents of the United States 

5 wrongfully detained in Venezuela, along with all 

6 other citizens and lawful permanent residents of the 

7 United States wrongfully detained abroad; and 

8 (5) expresses solidarity with and sympathy for 

9 Eyvin Hernandez, his friends and family, and those 

10 advocating for his immediate release, for the per11 sonal hardship experienced as a result of the arbi12 trary and baseless detention of their loved one. 

Æ 


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