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Lester Pérez Sánchez and Ismaray Paz Torres, a couple of Cuban pastors who have been living in the coastal area of Texas for five years, have been detained since March 31 at the El Valle Detention Center in Raymondville, after being arrested during what they believed would be a routine supervision meeting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Harlingen.
According to a report by Telemundo Corpus Christi, the couple arrived in the United States in 2021 seeking asylum, but instead of humanitarian parole, they were granted I-220A status, a document that does not equate to parole nor provides permanent immigration status or access to the Cuban Adjustment Act, according to a ruling by the Board of Immigration Appeals in 2023.
Both have work permits and Social Security cards, and they operate a tire repair shop in Ingleside that services municipal vehicles.
From the detention center, Lester made a direct appeal to Secretary of State Marco Rubio: "I would like these words to reach Marco Rubio, that we do not want to go to Cuba. That if there was a possibility he could give legal status to me and my family."
The case is part of a growing pattern of arrests of Cubans with I-220A during routine appointments with ICE, which has intensified since the return of the Trump administration in January 2025.
Residency approvals for Cubans plummeted by 99.8% in January 2026, from over 10,000 monthly to just 15, while the arrests of Cubans by ICE increased by 463% under the Trump administration.
The I-220A form affects approximately 400,000 Cubans in a state of legal limbo in the United States, according to data documented by immigration monitoring organizations.
Francisca Reyes, pastor and friend who took the couple to the ICE appointment, described her impact on the community: "Glory to God, they have felt free to work with families, with children, helping us a lot in any situation."
Members of the congregation gathered at the Christian Church La Roca de Israel to show their support, and the mayor of Ingleside wrote a letter requesting the couple's return.
Adelaida Vásquez, a member of the congregation, questioned the arrest: "They are doing things the right way, in accordance with U.S. law, and I believe they are committing an injustice by locking them up when they have a work permit."
Other Cubans in similar situations have achieved their release through habeas corpus appeals in federal courts. A Cuban with I-220A was released recently after months of detention, and another, Daniel Alejandro Escobar Rodríguez, regained his freedom last February after nearly three months in detention by the same means.
It has also been documented the case of a Cuban with active humanitarian parole who has been detained in Texas for months after attending a routine appointment, which illustrates the extent of the phenomenon.
The final hearing for Ismaray, which was scheduled for this Monday, has been postponed due to an emergency involving the judge, with no new date set. Lester's hearing is scheduled for May 11.
"The hope is that they can come out and embrace them and tell them that justice has been served because they have been good people, and we trust in God that those doors will open," expressed a community member.
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