Related videos:
He spent more than three months locked up, away from home, without having committed any crime. For the Cuban Jorge Pérez, what started as a routine appointment with immigration ended up becoming an experience he bluntly describes as a “nightmare.”
On December 10, Pérez attended an appointment in Fresno, California. That same day, he was arrested by agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and transferred to the California City detention center, the largest in the state. There, he claims, he began a process marked by uncertainty, emotional strain, and treatment that made him feel like a criminal.
“They put handcuffs on your feet, a chain around your waist, and they put handcuffs on your hands,” recounted the Cuban about the moment of his detention, in statements collected by Univisión.
Inside the center, the situation did not improve. Pérez spent Christmas, New Year, and even his birthday behind bars, in an environment he describes as cold, hostile, and designed to break the will of the detainees.
"The whole process is designed to make you give in and ask for deportation," he said. According to his testimony, many immigrants ended up signing their exit from the country out of desperation.
The feeling of injustice was constant. “We felt like criminals in there, and I said, 'Why do I have to be here? I haven't done anything wrong,’” she expressed.
Meanwhile, outside, her husband Daniel kept moving. Amidst long hours of work and legal proceedings, he sought help until he found the organization Centro La Familia. With the support of a lawyer, they filed a habeas corpus petition, a key legal tool for challenging unjustified detentions.
Weeks later, that action achieved what seemed increasingly distant: Jorge's freedom.
Immigration attorney Neri Lozano Sánchez explained that this resource exists precisely to prevent abuses by authorities when a person is detained without sufficient cause. In Pérez's case, his detention was being prolonged without clear justification.
Today, back home in Fresno, the Cuban faces his immigration process in freedom, but he doesn't forget what he has experienced. From his perspective, he sends a direct message to other immigrants who are going through similar situations.
“Do not be afraid, defend your case, do not despair… do not give up,” he advised.
Her story is not an isolated one, but it gives a face and voice to a reality that many Cubans know all too well: the migration uncertainty in the United States, where a simple appointment can change everything.
Filed under: