Whereas Eyvin Hernandez has been a public defender for Los Angeles County since 2006, dedicating his career to representing the most vulnerable people in the county; Whereas Eyvin 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 has volunteered his time to advocate for children in the juvenile justice system, to mentor aspiring young lawyers through the Latina Lawyer Bar Association and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Law Fellows Program, and 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, where he was associate editor for the Chicanx-Latinx Law Review, and of El Camino College, UCLA, where he majored in physics and mathematics; Whereas Eyvin’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 Hernandez 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 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 these allegations nor to hold trial proceedings to adjudicate his case, highlighting the fabricated grounds for Eyvin’s detention; Whereas Eyvin was not included in the October 2022 prisoner exchange that allowed 7 Americans imprisoned in Venezuela to return home to the United States; Whereas the Department of State designated Eyvin Hernandez as wrongfully detained on October 21, 2022