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Under the November chill and with candles lit, dozens of people gathered in Clinton Square, Syracuse, to call for the release of Alcibiades Lázaro Ramírez González and Yannier Vázquez Hidalgo, the Cuban couple detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Since then, both have remained confined in a detention center in western New York, awaiting hearings that could determine whether they will be deported to Cuba.
In the community, no one calls them by their full names anymore. To friends, coworkers, neighbors, and unions that defend them, they are Alex and Yan, two men who came to the United States fleeing from homophobia and persecution, who managed to marry and build a stable life in Syracuse, and who today face the risk of being sent back to the country where they assert their lives are in danger.
The vigil on Monday, November 24, was organized by the CSEA Local 615 union, which represents one of them, and gathered more than 80 people, according to a report by NYC Central.
With signs calling for "Freedom for Alex and Yan" and "Surviving is not illegal," the attendees demanded that the federal government end what they describe as an arbitrary and inhumane detention.
"This means that our voices are heard not only at the state level but also at the federal level," said Ali Cottrell, local union president, in a message aimed at giving hope to the family and putting pressure on Washington at a time when ICE detentions have increased under the new administration of Donald Trump.
The auditor of the city of Syracuse, Alexander Marion, also attended the vigil and emphasized that the fight will continue until the couple returns home. “Alex and Yan are part of the Syracuse community, and we will not stop fighting until we bring them back,” he wrote on X. “I was proud to stand alongside community allies, unions, and their family to demand their release, and that of all unjustly detained individuals.”
A story that has touched all of Syracuse
Alex and Yan were arrested on October 29 during a routine appointment with immigration authorities, a procedure they anticipated would be the final step before receiving permission to reside in the country. Instead, ICE agents detained them on the spot and transferred them to the Batavia detention center, even leaving their car abandoned in the parking lot.
The news sparked an immediate wave of solidarity. Colleagues from SUNY Upstate Medical University, where they worked as a janitor and supervisor, described the couple as "a beacon of light" at work, individuals who "give everything to help others."
Unions like UUP and CSEA have actively supported their cause; neighbors have organized protests, and friends have launched a campaign that includes selling t-shirts with the message “Survival isn’t illegal.”
According to Syracuse.com, some protesters were moved to mention that as the city prepares for the holidays, entire families will face the season with empty chairs, as their loved ones are confined in detention centers.
Mindy Heath, president of the UUP chapter in Upstate, attended a hearing in Batavia before the vigil and confirmed that Alex’s next appearance will be on January 13, while Yan’s is scheduled for December 3. “We wanted them to come home for the holidays,” she said. “But bringing them home is the ultimate goal. This will not stop us.”
Heath added to the local media that following this case has shown him "how unjust the judicial system can be" when it comes to immigrants seeking asylum. "It’s not normal at all. You can hardly believe it," he stated.
For their family members, the possibility of being deported to Cuba is a real threat. They have reported that both suffered harassment, assaults, and homophobia on the Island, and that their return would leave them exposed to the persecution they fled.
Meanwhile, the Syracuse community promises not to abandon the cause.
"We will stay here, on the street, until they return home," several protesters said during the vigil. For them, the story of Alex and Yan is not just that of a Cuban couple detained by ICE, but that of thousands of immigrants seeking to survive in a country that promised them sanctuary.
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