Sandor Gerardo had his family reunification claim approved, submitted by his wife, Amanda Canete, so he could travel from Cuba to the United States and settle legally in the country, but the protests of July 11, 2021, and the persecution by the Cuban political police intervened in his path.
After his photo appeared on the cover of CiberCuba news, his boss in Cuba mentioned that someone had inquired about him. State Security was also asking questions in his neighborhood. The arrest was imminent, and he decided to flee.
While Cuban television was broadcasting sentences of 15 years (or more) in prison for peaceful protesters identified in the massive demonstrations of July 11, he set out on his journey to the border of the United States with Mexico.
He entered through the border, was detained for two months, and was finally released with I-220A, a migration status that attorney Mark Prada is advocating for in the 11th and 2nd circuits to demonstrate that it is a parole and that, therefore, Cubans with I-220A can benefit from the Cuban Adjustment Act.
But Sandor Gerardo's hardships did not end with those two months of detention. Since June 5, he has been held in a correctional facility, alongside common prisoners. He was detained by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) during his routine appointment, under the pretext that he had been mishandled by ICE at the border.
His wife, Amanda Canete, is nine months pregnant, about to give birth, and has to make two-hour trips to see him through a glass partition to talk with him at the detention center.
They have a lawyer, but even though their case is a textbook asylum case, it is not clear whether it will ultimately be granted.
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