Flanked by family, his lawyer and over two dozen supporters, Matthew Marrero stood on the front steps of Middle Church in the East Village on Tuesday afternoon.
He had come to join local electeds and fellow parishioners at his church to call for the release of his husband, Allan Marrero, from immigration detention.
Two weeks ago, Documented reported that Matthew’s husband, Allan Marrero, 34, was taken by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when the couple attended a routine green card interview at 26 Federal Plaza. Allan never came home, and was sent to immigration detention in New Jersey.
That day, Matthew was distraught, Rev. Amanda Hambrick told Documented. On Tuesday, the 45-year-old fought back tears but thanked the crowd of people gathered in the cold.
“We’re grateful that we have these resources, but other people need these resources too,” he told the crowd. “And we need to speak up.”
Standing at Matthew’s side on Tuesday was New York City’s Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams, councilmember Harvey Epstein, and a representative from the office of Congressman Dan Goldman. The electeds have joined the growing chorus demanding that the federal government free Allan from immigration detention.
“What about Allan is dangerous? What about Allan is harmful to this city and to this country? ” demanded Williams, in front of a crowd wearing purple clothing and ribbons as a show of support for their fellow parishioner.
Williams likened the Trump administration to authoritarians and told Documented that seeing them detain people like Allan was “gross.”
“Everything about Allan is helpful to this city and to this country,” he said, addressing the crowd. “Is it the fact that he’s from the Cayman Islands? Is it the fact that he’s gay? Are those the things that are dangerous about him?”
The newlyweds are just one of a growing number of marriages between U.S. citizens and immigrants that have been torn apart following routine interviews at offices of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
After arriving in the United States in 2013 on a valid visa, Allan had applied for asylum based on his treatment as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in his home country. He worked in the hospitality industry and dutifully attended his court dates for his slow-moving asylum case, according to his family and legal team.
Later, he fell in love and married Matthew. After two years of marriage the couple decided to apply for Allan’s green card so he could pursue his dream of becoming a nurse.
On Thanksgiving week, the couple attended their appointment at 26 Federal Plaza. According to Matthew, the couple was aggressively questioned by a USCIS official before being asked whether they were aware that Allan had a removal order because of a missed court appearance for his asylum case.
The couple was shocked because Allan had never received the notice, Matthew told Documented. And despite the officer saying “have a great day,” they were walked straight into the custody of ICE, Matthew said.
“Inside detention, my husband’s medications had been mishandled,” Matthew told the crowd on Tuesday. Matthew wore a purple and blue scarf and carefully manicured nails — their wedding colors, he told Documented.
“It took over a week for him to receive socks and a towel. He has homophobic slurs directed at him,” he said. “And every day, I push our story forward, praying for a Christmas miracle that my husband will come home.”
The Caymanian’s deportation has been stayed while the family waits for an immigration judge to rule on a motion to reopen his asylum case. Allan and his legal team at Make the Road, have argued that due to a lack of notification, he has a right to continue his fight to stay in the country.
“When I learned of the circumstances of Allan’s arrest, I was astounded,” said Alexandra Rizio, the couple’s attorney. “Allan is a man who kept meticulous track of his immigration paperwork and tried to do everything by the book.”
Allan’s marriage was approved as bonafide by USCIS, and he is entitled to a green card, she said. But as of Tuesday, the Marreros were still waiting.
“The Trump Administration has fired 25% of immigration judges in New York,” said Rizio. “When will Allan’s case be heard? When will he get his day in court?
Last week, Documented reported that at least seven immigration judges were fired at 26 Federal Plaza — potentially slowing the workings of a court that is already struggling under a backlog of cases. The firings were the latest in a nationwide purge of judges by the Trump administration, largely targeting so-called sanctuary cities and judges with more lenient records for granting asylum.
你知道吗？非公民办理驾照时的这个错误可能会导致选民欺诈
As of August, 3.4 million cases were pending in immigration court nationwide, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.
As the press conference came to a close, those present locked arms and sang their support for Allan with the civil rights anthem “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ’Round,” with altered lyrics.
“Ain’t gonna let no ICE turn me around,
Turn me around, turn me around.
Ain’t gonna let no ICE turn me around.
I’m gonna keep on walkin’, keep on talkin’,
Marching up to freedom land.”
