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After five months locked up in an immigration detention center, handcuffed on the same day they attended a hearing to regularize their status, the Cuban couple formed by Alcibiades “Alex” Lázaro Ramírez González and Yannier Vázquez Hidalgo embraced their families in tears last week in New York.
The local media Local Syracuse (WSYR-TV) reported that the couple, workers at Upstate Medical University hospital in Syracuse, was released after paying thousands of dollars in bail following their detention since October under the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Vázquez was released on February 17 after paying $5,000, and the next day, González regained his freedom after a payment of $15,000 was made. He was also fitted with an electronic tracking device on his ankle.
Both had been arrested when they attended a migration appointment to advance their document regularization. According to the report, they were handcuffed and initially taken to the local ICE office and then to the Federal Detention Center in Buffalo, known as "Batavia," the largest immigrant center in the state. There, they shared a cell for 11 days before being separated without explanation and sent to different floors of the building.
In statements gathered by the local press after their release, they reported that they were chained like criminals and that, although the physical conditions were not unhygienic, the experience left them feeling disconnected from the world. For months, they could barely see each other, except briefly in the hallways.
The release comes just weeks after two immigration judges ordered their deportation to Ecuador, despite the fact that they are Cubans and have no ties to that country. One of the judges determined that they did not qualify for the Cuban Adjustment Act and supported the possibility of sending them to Ecuadorian territory based on recent agreements between Washington and Quito.
The decision caused outrage in Syracuse. Alex and Yan, married in 2024, homeowners in North Syracuse and employees of the university hospital—one as a supervisor of environmental services and the other as a janitor—had fully integrated into their community. Their unions, United University Professionals (UPP) and the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), publicly defended their case, organized demonstrations, and raised funds to pay for bail.
The president of the UUP, Fred Kowal, celebrated González's release from the detention center and publicly defended his continued presence in the United States. “The entire UUP community is delighted with the news that Alex is free once again,” he stated in comments reported by local media.
Kowal described González as “a good man, very hardworking, and a good neighbor” who was on the path to citizenship when he was detained. He emphasized that, although the release is good news, it does not protect him from deportation. “At least now, Alex and Yan can fight their order from home and not from a detention center, a place where they had no reason to be.”
The union leader went further and harshly criticized ICE's actions, describing them as reckless and violent, and stated that the union will continue to support the couple. UUP, the largest higher education union in the country with over 42,000 members, has been among the organizations that helped raise funds to pay for bail and cover legal expenses.
Their legal battle is far from over. They have appealed the deportation orders and are maintaining asylum requests based on the fear of persecution both in Cuba and Ecuador due to being homosexuals. According to local press reports, both crossed the border in 2021, turned themselves in to authorities, and began their immigration process without any criminal records.
“Now is when the real fight begins”, said González after leaving the detention center, expressing gratitude for the support from the city and union leaders. For them, the so-called "American dream" is not over, but it is also not guaranteed.
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