Michel Castellanos, a Cuban drummer and content creator known on social media as @michedrums, issued an urgent call to raise awareness about the case of his aunt Maritza Rojas Pineda, who has been detained for over seven months by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Bluebonnet, in Anson, Texas.
A native of Camagüey and trained at the 'Luis Casas Romero' Vocational School of Art, Castellanos published a video clip on Instagram in which Maritza is interviewed and appears to be crying. The woman describes the deterioration of her health within the detention center.
“I’m afraid of losing my life here. That’s my biggest fear,” Maritza says, her voice trembling. “My main concern is that I might have a stroke or a heart attack.”
El caso de Maritza Rojas Pineda se suma a los de muchos cubanos afectados por la detención migratoria en Estados Unidos. Sigue todos los detalles y novedades en nuestra sección de
The medical tests conducted on Maritza within the center recorded a glucose level of 434 mg/dL, far above the normal range of 70 to 99. The results also showed elevated levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and other indicators outside of normal values.
Maritza's daughter added that the woman detained by ICE "has suffered from liver issues, has had inflammation in her legs, and has no sensation in her toes."
Maritza was arrested on March 17, 2026 along with her husband and son during a routine immigration appointment with ICE. The three were immediately separated: she was transferred to Texas, while her husband and son remained at a facility in Oklahoma.
Approximately a month later, the husband was released after his case was closed due to having a pending residency application, and the son was released on bail.
However, Maritza remains detained despite having a residency application in progress, as she entered the United States alongside her husband through the CBP One program. Her lawyer notes that the interpretation of immigration laws in Texas complicates her release.
A judge ordered Maritza's deportation, but her defense filed a habeas corpus petition to challenge the detention and requested both her release on humanitarian grounds and her transfer to Oklahoma, where the rest of her family resides. According to her relatives, returning to Cuba is not an option because she has no one to receive her on the island.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responded to Telemundo that having a pending immigration application does not equate to having legal status in the country, and it defended medical care in detention centers by stating that it is "the best that many immigrants have received in their lives" and that meals are certified by dietitians.
Castellanos insists that Maritza's story needs to go further. "We are not asking for privileges, just humanity, compassion, and respect for her dignity," the musician wrote in his Instagram stories.
The immigration attorney Wilfredo «Willy» Allen revealed to CiberCuba this Monday what he believes are the three factors that lead to the transfer of immigrants to ICE detention centers in Texas and Louisiana. They are:
- more stringent application of immigration law in that jurisdiction
- abundance of private prisons in both states
- deliberate strategy of the government to hinder detainees from obtaining freedom or legal resources.
Bluebonnet, with a capacity for 1,000 people, was among the most overcrowded ICE facilities during fiscal year 2025, exceeding its limit by as many as 206 detainees, according to data from The Marshall Project.
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