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Ariel Cruz Pentón, a Cuban who had lived in the United States for seven years, married to a U.S. citizen and father of a two-year-old girl, has been deported to Mexico.
In an emotional testimony for Univision, Cruz Pentón recalled the day in June when, after leaving his daughter with the babysitter, he went to work without knowing he would never see his daughter again.
While on his way to work, agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stopped the vehicle he was traveling in, stated his name, and informed him that he was under arrest.
“At that moment, my world fell apart because, well... it was the last time I saw my daughter”, declared Ariel, who was abruptly separated from his wife and daughter.
He was deported to Mexico, a country with which he has no ties and where he was granted only ten days to adjust his immigration status or leave the territory.
"Today it was my turn, but tomorrow it could be many good people who are out there working," warned Ariel, still shaken by the speed and helplessness with which his deportation was carried out.
His case adds to those of dozens of Cubans—between 100 and 150, according to their estimate—who have been sent to Mexico under the policy of deportation to third countries.
Cruz Pentón and his wife, Alexandria Dowell, got married at the end of 2022 and began a family life with their two-year-old daughter in Aurora, Colorado.
“He is my world,” Dowell confessed to Scripps News Denver. “He is so thoughtful, a very hard-working man. We are a team… he motivates me to pursue my dreams and everything I want to achieve.”
The marriage had started the process for Form I-130, the first step for a foreign spouse to obtain permanent residency in the U.S.
Moreover, Ariel had a valid work permit and regularly attended his immigration check-ups.
In the most recent situation, just three weeks before his arrest, everything seemed to indicate that his situation was under control.
Mistakes that define a life
However, Ariel was carrying a final deportation order issued by an immigration judge in 2019, following his entry into the country through the border in El Paso, Texas.
Although he requested political asylum and successfully passed the credible fear interview, ICE forced him to sign documents without adequate legal counsel. One of those documents stated that he was not afraid to return to Cuba, which invalidated his asylum application.
"They forced him to sign without knowing what it said. That changed everything," Alexandria explained.
According to his lawyer, Carlos Mejías, these types of documents are used to close immigration processes without immigrants understanding the legal consequences.
Ariel was detained by ICE without a court order, intercepted by three unmarked cars.
His wife searched for him in vain at the Aurora detention center, where they told her, "Your husband is not here."
He then discovered that he had been transferred to a facility in El Paso, Texas, which usually precedes an immediate deportation.
An uncertain present, a persistent hope
Although the family has appealed the deportation order and sought legal and political support, their options are dwindling. According to Mejías, only a waiver granted by USCIS could allow Ariel's return to the United States, a remote but still viable possibility if the extreme harm caused by the separation to his family can be demonstrated.
"We pay our taxes. We follow everything to the letter. Every day I fear for her life," declared Dowell, who now takes on the care of her daughter and the maintenance of the household on her own.
"My daughter asks about him every day. She sees his car and calls out to him. I have to lie to her and say he's at work. I hope for a miracle."
Journalist Javier Díaz explained that Alexandria is getting ready to travel to Mexico to see her husband.
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