Alan Marrero was released after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for nearly six months and has returned to his home in New York with his husband.
Marrero spent 150 days in ICE custody and was held in multiple detention centers across the United States after missing an immigration court hearing while in an alcohol rehabilitation program. This is a situation that is widely considered a “just cause” for not appearing in court.
The Washington Blade first reported on Marrero’s case in March after the Cayman Islander was detained by ICE agents during a routine marriage-based green card interview at 26 Federal Plaza in New York City.
At the time of the interview, Marrero had been married to her husband, Matthew Marrero, for two years. But soon the experience turned hostile.
The Rev. Amanda Hambrick Ashcraft, pastor of Middle Church in Manhattan, who accompanied the couple to provide moral support, later described the process as “inhuman” and “barbaric.”
During the interview, it became clear that the couple was facing an uphill battle. At one point, when asked how they met, Matthew Marrero said she couldn’t help but look at her husband, who then “suddenly looked at me” and said, “Don’t look at me.” As the interview continued, the outlook became even grimmer.
Alan Marrero was taken into custody on the spot, not knowing that he had a prior removal order related to his absence from court during his rehabilitation.
Over the next several months, Alan Marrero was transferred to and from multiple detention facilities, including centers in Arizona and Texas, and the Everglades Detention Center, also known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”unsanitary and inappropriate environment” – and ended up in a jail in Mississippi.
While in custody, Alan Marrero was denied access to prescription medication, and advocates say he was subjected to psychological pressure from ICE agents to voluntarily leave rather than remain in custody while his case was pending.
A judge later reopened the case and granted bail after Alan Marrero presented evidence that he had entered a rehabilitation facility (a valid medical reason for his absence from court), but ICE continued to use procedural mechanisms to keep him in custody. Another judge subsequently ruled against relief, and Alan Marrero remained in custody.
On the outside, Matthew Marrero said he felt like his life was put on hold so ICE could meet its enforcement quota.
“[It feels like] “Someone came in and kidnapped someone close to you and took all of your control and power away,” Matthew Marrero told the Blade on March 7. You are trying to meet a quota. ”
“There seems to be an underlying brutality built into everything, not just this administration,” Alexandra Rizzio, attorney for Alan Marrero of the immigrant-led progressive grassroots organization Make the Road New York, told the Blade.
“There was no need to be so depressed,” Rizzio continued. “If someone goes to a green card interview and a marriage interview and finds out they have a removal order, the immigration officer will say, ‘Look, there’s a removal order in your name. You need to hire a lawyer right away to handle this. You can’t get a green card…’ And you know, if you hire a lawyer, you might be able to straighten things out. Of course, that’s not going to happen. So ICE was called in the building and Alan was arrested.”
The Marreros are scheduled to hold a press conference in Middlechurch on Tuesday, where Alan Marrero will speak publicly about his detention for the first time.
Click here for more information on the press conference. middlechurch.org.
The article Gay ICE detainee released after 150 days in custody appeared first on Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News.
Source: Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News – www.washingtonblade.com
