A Caymanian man held in US immigration detention for 150 days has been released and reunited with his husband and church community in New York.
Allan Dabrio-Marrero, 34, was welcomed back at Middle Church in Manhattan on Sunday in emotional scenes.
Speaking to the congregation, he said, “This community means a lot to me. Your strength and your hopes and your prayers kept me going while I was inside for 150 days.
“It was a very traumatic experience. I am still trying to re-adjust but I am happy and thankful and blessed for this community that we have here and I thank you all.”
In a separate post on Facebook, he said, “Five months away from my husband and my dogs … five months and I’m finally home. The gratitude I feel towards my husband, our family, our friends, our congregation … and every wonderful person who fought for my release … is insurmountable.”
Dabrio-Marrero was embraced by his husband Matthew Marrero and church leaders on Sunday. Members of the congregation shouted ‘we love you’ as the couple announced the news.
“This is the love of my life. I am so happy,” Matthew Marrero said.
The church has called a press conference at midday Eastern Time on 5 May to give further details.
Dabrio-Marrero was detained in November last year when he and his husband, Matthew Marrero, attended what they believed was a routine green card interview in Manhattan. He was taken into custody on the basis of a removal order issued in 2022 after he missed an immigration hearing – a notice he says he never received.
In a press statement Monday, Middle Church stated, “Allan was transferred to a Newark facility, then moved to various detention centres in Arizona and Texas, to the inhumane detention centre of Alligator Alcatraz, and eventually to Natchez, Mississippi.
“Throughout his detention, ICE repeatedly failed to accurately or timely provide his prescribed medications, placing his health and safety at serious risk.”
Earlier this year a judge rescinded the original removal order and Dabrio-Marrero was granted bond. But a third judge subsequently denied his green card application and issued a fresh deportation order without holding a scheduled hearing.
His lawyers filed an appeal and were also considering a habeas corpus application to challenge the lawfulness of his detention.
Make the Road New York, the advocacy organisation representing Dabrio-Marrero, said it would continue to pursue his green card application on the basis of his marriage.
In his Facebook post, Dabrio-Marrero added that it was a challenge to come out of detention and return to life as normal and appealed for time to adjust.
“I hope you allow me the grace to find my footing as I return to the world and try to make sense of everything that has happened. While I’m fortunate to have all of you, some of my brothers and sisters who are detained aren’t as lucky. Please don’t forget about them … and continue to use your voices to uplift those in situations like mine.”
More details are expected at Tuesday’s press conference.
Additional reporting by Simon Boxall
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