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The story of Alex and Yan, the Cuban couple that touched the hearts of Syracuse and sparked a wave of solidarity in New York, has just faced another devastating blow. An immigration judge ordered the deportation of Yannier Vázquez Hidalgo to Ecuador, a country with which he has no connection, just a week after another court made a similar decision against his husband, Alcibiades “Alex” Lázaro Ramírez González.
The information was confirmed this Thursday by Syracuse.com, a medium that has closely followed the case. According to the report, Judge Brian Counihan determined that Vázquez Hidalgo is not eligible for the Cuban Adjustment Act because he entered the United States without applying for asylum at an official port of entry, thereby closing off one of the few legal pathways that typically protect Cuban migrants.
The order is particularly puzzling because Yannier is Cuban, has never been to Ecuador, and has no relatives, residence, or support networks in that country. Nonetheless, the ruling is based on a recent agreement between the United States and Ecuador to host asylum seekers sent from third countries, a provision that, according to the defense, should not be applied retroactively.
The court's decision deepens the separation of a couple who fled Cuba to escape homophobia and persecution, legally married in the United States, and managed to build a stable life in Syracuse.
Both worked at the SUNY Upstate university hospital—Alex as the environmental services supervisor and Yannier as a janitor—they owned a house and were fully integrated into their community.
The two were arrested by ICE agents last October, when they attended a routine immigration appointment together. Since then, they have been detained at the Batavia center, although in separate areas, seeing each other only through a glass window or fleetingly in the hallways, according to family members.
Last week, another judge had already ordered Alex's deportation to Ecuador, a decision that caused astonishment among unions, activists, and local authorities. Now, with the ruling against Yannier, the threat of a double expulsion —and to a foreign country— becomes more real and more cruel.
During the hearing, Yannier's attorney, Irma Ramírez, warned that Ecuador cannot be considered a safe destination, even for individuals with no prior history there. She pointed out the gang violence and cases of police extortion, emphasizing that sending a homosexual Cuban to an unknown country places him in a situation of extreme vulnerability.
“Ecuador is not a safe country for anyone,” stated the attorney before the court, according to Syracuse.com. However, the judge deemed the allegations of potential persecution or torture to be “too general,” partly because Yannier has never lived in that country.
The ruling also overlooks the fact that both men had sought asylum in the United States and had passed immigration evaluations that acknowledged a credible threat to their lives if they returned to Cuba, precisely due to their sexual orientation.
A community that does not give up
Judicial decisions are being made despite the wide support the couple has received since their detention. Unions such as United University Professions (UUP) and CSEA, coworkers, neighbors, and activists have organized demonstrations, candlelight vigils, and public campaigns under the slogan “Survival isn’t illegal”.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul even met with the couple's family members, and local authorities have expressed their concern over what they consider inhumane and unjust treatment. For many in Syracuse, Alex and Yan are no longer just two names in a migration file, but part of the community.
Meanwhile, Yannier has until February 22 to appeal the decision that could send him to Ecuador, the same destination imposed on his husband. Time is running against him, and with it, the possibility that a couple who sought refuge, love, and security in the United States ends up separated and expelled to a country they did not choose and do not know.
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