Yandy Gómez Rodríguez, a Cuban immigrant who has lived in the United States for eight years and has tried to legalize his immigration status through legal means, has been detained in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Louisiana since May 16, leaving his wife and young daughter in an emotional and legal limbo.
Yandy was arrested while attending, as he had done on at least ten previous occasions, a scheduled appointment with ICE in New Orleans. Despite having no criminal record and being married to a U.S. citizen, with whom he has a two-year-old daughter, the authorities decided to detain him without prior notice, as reported to WSVN by his lawyer, Robert W. Goeke.
“Arrived at the appointment, as he had done many times before, and ICE decided to detain him. We don't know what will happen now,” explained Goeke from the Casey Cowley firm.
Yandy's story reflects the uncertainty experienced by many Cubans who, even when following the established immigration processes, face more severe measures from U.S. authorities amid an increasingly strict immigration policy.
His wife, Dianna Heredia, tries to maintain the home while facing the anguish of a possible deportation. “My daughter asks all the time when her dad is coming”, she says, tears in her eyes. “When she talks to him on video call, she says: ‘Come on, Daddy, come pick me up’”.
Yandy worked in the heating and air conditioning sector and, according to his family, he was striving to meet all the requirements to legalize his status. His case highlights how the current immigration policy can directly impact Cuban families who have built a life in the United States and are simply seeking stability and a better future.
“I tell you, the only thing that can make me happy right now is for them to release you so I can hug you”, says Dianna.
Meanwhile, the family awaits a favorable resolution that will allow them to be together again. However, like many other Cubans in the diaspora, hope mingles with uncertainty in a system that seems to turn its back even on those who have tried to do things "the right way."
Another Cuban father at risk of deportation
The case of Yandy is not isolated. Orlando Delgado, another Cuban and father of a seven-month-old baby, was after attending an immigration court appointment in Florida, despite having an asylum request based on the reprisals he faced after participating in the protests on July 11, 2021, in Cuba.
From the Broward Detention Center, Delgado recounted that ICE detained him without prior notice and without giving him a chance to defend his case, despite having a pending review for "credible fear."
“They simply shut down the court and ICE detained me,” he reported.
His wife, Mercedes Estévez, fears for his life if he returns to Cuba. “They watched him, threatened him, and now they want to send him to Mexico”, she said anxiously, alone, unemployed, and caring for her newborn son.
Both cases reflect an alarming trend: Cubans with no criminal records, who have families established in the U.S., are facing arbitrary detentions even when they comply with their legal processes.
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