MIAMI – Recent immigration raids and deportations across the country have sparked fear among South Florida immigrants and their families, especially those required to check in at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Miramar.
“I’ve been waiting for my girlfriend and her teenage daughter for hours,” said a man who identified himself only as Juan. He told CBS News Miami that they arrived at the ICE building Thursday at 10 a.m. for a scheduled appointment.
Juan’s girlfriend and stepdaughter left Peru four years ago and crossed the border illegally. Since then, they have been required to report to ICE annually.
“The catch-and-release system always has a requirement that you report to ICE on a yearly basis,” said immigration attorney Willie Allen. He noted that these interviews are now taking longer than before.
For some, the wait ends with detention.
“My husband had a deportation order. He came yesterday and they held him,” said Ermita Cervera as she rushed into the Miramar facility on 145th Avenue. She brought medication for her husband, who arrived from Cuba three years ago.
Cervera said her husband was detained for six months at an immigration center and had requested to be sent back to Cuba.
“If you are physically deported and you return to the U.S. without a waiver, you have illegally re-entered after deportation,” Allen explained. “You can be sentenced to federal prison, serve time and then be deported again.”
Hours later, Cervera received news she had been dreading.
“My husband was transported to Krome Detention Center,” she said, visibly frustrated. “Normally, that’s the procedure when someone is getting deported.”
For Juan, the outcome was different. After nearly four hours, his girlfriend and stepdaughter were released. They embraced, crying and laughing with relief.
When CBS News Miami’s Ivan Taylor asked the woman—who requested anonymity—what ICE officials had asked her, she responded, “Nothing. They asked for the paper showing we had an appointment, saw we had no criminal record and said we could go.”
Allen advises anyone who has received a deportation notice to seek legal counsel as soon as possible.
