A Cuban immigrant was abruptly detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the hallway of a Miami federal courthouse Monday, following what was supposed to be his final immigration hearing.
“This is unfair… It’s not fair,” screamed Daysis Salvador, the wife of 44-year-old Didie Espinoza, as she recorded video of her husband being handcuffed and taken into an elevator by plainclothes ICE agents with covered faces.
Surprise detention after case dismissed
“As they see you come out of court, these men immediately run to detain you,” Salvador told CBS News Miami.
A U.S. citizen, Salvador met Espinoza two years ago and the couple married this June after waiting for his divorce to finalize.
Espinoza, originally from Cuba, arrived at the U.S. southern border in May 2022 and requested political asylum. He was granted I-220A status, a parole designation given to thousands of Cuban migrants at the time.
Under current federal policy, that status disqualifies him from applying under the Cuban Adjustment Act, which allows Cuban nationals who enter with a visa to adjust their status more easily.
“This is an immigrant who came to the United States in May of 2022. He came to the southern border to request political asylum,” said immigration attorney Laura Jimenez, who represented Espinoza in court.
“By September of 2022, being diligent on his case, he submitted his asylum application.”
According to Jimenez, Espinoza had received notice to appear in court for a hearing on June 16. She says that during the hearing, the government’s prosecutor announced, “The federal government is dismissing the case.”
“Since the asylum is filed with the immigration court, which is the one that has jurisdiction over the case, if they dismiss the case, there’s no asylum,” Jimenez explained. She has since filed an appeal and told Salvador that while the case is pending, Espinoza should not be deported.
Plea to lawmakers
Espinoza is currently being held at the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach.
“My message is to our legislators, Maria Elvira Salazar, (Mario) Diaz-Balart and others, please comply with everything you promised… my husband has not committed any crime… he has been a law-abiding citizen who wanted to live in a free country,” Salvador said.
She is now calling on South Florida’s Cuban American members of Congress to intervene in her husband’s case.
