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Alcibiades Lázaro Ramírez González and Yannier Vázquez Hidalgo dreamed of starting a new life in the United States, far from the homophobia and repression that marked their history in Cuba. After years together, they decided to get married in a small courtroom in Clay, in northern New York State, surrounded by family members who celebrated their love and their apparent stability in the country where they believed they had found refuge.
Just two months after getting married, agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested them and sent them to a detention center in Batavia, intending to deport them to the island they had fled from.
They arrived in the United States between 2021 and 2022. Both men worked at the State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University, with Yannier as a janitor and Alcibiades as a supervisor. They were known among their colleagues as responsible and discreet workers, a couple integrated into the community who had even managed to buy a house in North Syracuse.
None had a criminal record nor had they committed any offenses. Their families assert that they had successfully passed the necessary immigration interviews to demonstrate that there was a credible threat to their lives if they returned to Cuba.
At the end of October, the couple attended their usual appointment with immigration officials in Mattydale, confident that it would be the last one before receiving the final authorization to reside in the United States.
But what they expected to be a routine process turned into a nightmare when the agents arrested them on the spot and took them to Batavia, leaving their car abandoned in the parking lot. A coworker was the one who retrieved the vehicle and informed their families.
The news spread like wildfire among friends and colleagues. Within hours, their families mobilized to seek help from state authorities.
On Saturday, November 1st, during a political event in Syracuse, New York Governor Kathy Hochul met privately with the family members and union representatives of the couple. She promised to help them secure legal representation and expressed her concern about the arbitrary detentions of individuals who have been contributing to American society for years.
"We are living in very dangerous times when those who have worked and lived here for years are treated like criminals," said Hochul, referring to the new wave of deportations driven by President Donald Trump's policies.
Since the Republican took office, his administration has intensified ICE operations, especially in the northern states. Dozens of immigrants have been detained in workplace raids or during routine appointments with immigration authorities.
The government’s rhetoric, focused on "cleaning the country" of undocumented immigrants, has reignited fear among migrant communities who believed they were protected by their asylum applications.
Alcibiades' cousin, Alexeis Ruiz Batista, recounted that he traveled with other family members to Batavia to see them in person and offer encouragement. “We told them that many people are trying to help them. That they are not alone. To trust in God and that everything will turn out well,” he stated in an interview with Syracuse.com, a news and content website serving the central New York region.
Juan Carlos, Yannier's brother-in-law, recounted that the men suffered harassment and brutality in Cuba, and warned that their lives are in danger if they are sent back to the Island. "There is no protection or justice for them there. They would be targets of persecution," he stated.
According to their relatives, the U.S. government has not explained the reasons for their detention or the current status of their case. Both are being held together in a cell, awaiting their scheduled hearings.
Yannier must appear on November 17 at 8:30 a.m., while the date for Alcibiades' hearing has not yet been set.
The case has sparked concern in New York, where organizations and unions have begun demanding their immediate release. For many, the story of this Cuban couple encapsulates the contradiction between the freedom rhetoric that the United States promotes and the immigration policies that currently threaten those who are seeking that very freedom.
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