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Gueyner Aquino Díaz, a 41-year-old Cuban citizen, remains detained without bail at the Bergen County Jail in New Jersey after being arrested on Saturday on charges including aggravated assault by strangulation, terrorist threats, and simple assault.
According to the local outlet Shore News Network, Aquino Díaz was taken to the Bergen County jail last Saturday, coming from Hackensack. The prison records identify him as a citizen and native of Cuba, and they note a detainer issued that same day by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), under identification number 240212718.
The most serious charge he faces is second-degree aggravated assault by strangulation, a crime in New Jersey that carries a prison sentence of five to ten years and a fine of up to $150,000.
Furthermore, the Law of No Early Release generally applies to this type of charge, which would require the defendant to serve 85% of the sentence before being eligible for parole.
These charges are accompanied by third-degree terrorist threats —which involve an explicit threat of violence and can result in an additional three to five years of imprisonment— and a lesser charge of simple assault.
The absence of bail indicates that the judge considered Aquino Díaz a flight risk or a danger to the community.
The immigration detention order means that federal immigration officials have requested to be informed or for custody measures to be taken if Aquino Díaz becomes eligible for release under local custody.
This type of request is a request—rather than a judicial order—through which ICE asks the local jail to hold the detainee for an additional 48 hours so that federal authorities can take custody. Compliance is voluntary for local authorities, although in practice many jails adhere to it.
The issuance of the order on the same day as the signing suggests that the biometric identification system automatically triggered the migration alert when processing Aquino Díaz's fingerprints.
Authorities have not released additional details about the alleged assault, including the exact location where it occurred or whether the case involves a report of domestic violence.
The case occurs amidst an intensification of ICE operations against Cubans in New Jersey. In April, ICE arrested Cuban Michel Proenza Martínez in Newark, who had a final deportation order and an extensive criminal record, upon his release from federal prison.
In March, ICE apprehended the Cuban Álvaro Tuero in Bridgeton, sentenced for sexual assault of a 13-year-old minor, as he was released from state prison. That same month, three Cubans with serious criminal records were arrested in similar operations in the state.
In May, ICE arrested Cubans convicted of serious crimes in a new round of operations, as part of a federal policy that prioritizes the detention of immigrants with criminal records.
Since January 2025, more than 1,901 Cubans have been deported from the United States, bringing the total to 5,286 expulsions during the two terms of the Trump administration, according to figures from the Department of Homeland Security.
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