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A Cuban citizen was arrested this Monday after breaking into an apartment in a building in Downtown Miami, where he took a knife and attempted to forcibly evict its two occupants, causing them injuries, according to the Miami Police.
José Alejandro Ramírez, 24 years old, is facing charges of armed home invasion with assault or injury following the violent incident he triggered in apartment 312 of the Art Plaza residential complex, authorities reported.
The fact opens the door to a possible deportation of Ramírez, due to a migration hold issued by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which could place him in custody once his criminal proceedings are concluded.
According to court records, the incident occurred at noon on Monday, after a woman associated with the apartment hired Ramírez to evict the tenants who were six days behind on their rent, stated Officer Michael Vega, spokesperson for the Miami Police.
According to preliminary information about the case, the woman was renting the apartment and had allegedly sublet it to other people without authorization, which would be prohibited by the contract. She was also arrested.
"This incident occurred yesterday at 12 PM, when the owner of an apartment hired a young man, who has also been arrested, to go to her apartment and remove the people who were staying there simply because they had not paid the rent," explained Vega.
Ramírez arrived at the property with keys given to him by the woman, picked up a kitchen knife, and headed to the room. One of the victims, identified as Vics Span, told Telemundo 51 that he was eating in his room when the man suddenly appeared.
"I had just gone out to run some errands, had returned, and was actually eating a dish of meat with cheese in my apartment, in my room, when out of nowhere I see an unknown man enter," Span recounted.
Upon seeing the victim start to record the incident with his phone, Ramírez dropped the knife and lunged at him. "It was like he got scared because he didn't want any videos or photos. He threw the knife and jumped on me," Span recounted.
During the scuffle, Ramírez struck him in the mouth with his head, breaking a tooth. The second occupant, identified as Jake, heard the screams from the bathroom and rushed to help; together they were able to subdue the accused and called the police. The other victim sustained a minor injury to a finger.
The agents found the keys and a large knife in the apartment as evidence and reviewed the video recorded by Span, which showed Ramírez entering the room, jumping onto the bed, and being subdued.
This Wednesday, during his appearance before Judge Mindy S. Glazer, the defense argued that Ramírez had permission to enter the property because he had been given the keys. The argument did not succeed: the court focused on the use of the knife and ordered him to remain in custody without bail while the criminal proceedings continue in Miami-Dade County. He faces charges of armed burglary with assault or injuries and attempted robbery in a dwelling with assault or injuries.
The case highlights a serious legal error: in the United States, no one can forcibly evict another person, regardless of whether they have keys or claim to have the landlord's authorization. Evictions must follow a formal judicial process.
ICE's immigration detention of Ramírez exacerbates his situation. Once his state criminal proceedings are concluded, the Cuban citizen could be transferred to federal custody and deported to Cuba or a third country.
In the context of the Trump administration's maximum pressure policy against illegal immigration, the arrests of Cubans by ICE surged by 463% between October 2024 and January 2026. According to official figures from the Department of Homeland Security, over 42,000 Cubans have final deportation orders in the country.
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