The situation of Alcibiades "Alex" Lázaro Ramírez González took a heart-wrenching turn on Tuesday. An immigration judge has ordered his deportation to Ecuador, a nation with which he has no ties. This decision not only uproots him from the life he built in the United States but also separates him from his husband, who is embroiled in a separate immigration case.
Ramírez González, originally from Cuba and employed at SUNY Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, was detained by ICE agents last October during a routine immigration appointment with his partner. Since then, he has been held at the Batavia detention center. Meanwhile, his husband, Yannier "Yan" Vázquez Hidalgo, is confined in the same facility but in different sections, allowing them only brief glimpses of each other through a glass or fleetingly in the hallways, according to family accounts shared with Local SYR.
This decision has sparked confusion and concern among family members, unions, and activists, who question the rationale of sending him to a country where he has no family, residence, or history. "We don't understand why the judge chose Ecuador," stated Ali Cottrell, president of the union representing the hospital workers, as quoted by syracuse.com, while questioning the humanity of the decision.
Alex fled Cuba to escape homophobia and persecution. In Syracuse, he found what many Cubans on the island can only dream of: stability, employment, owning a home, and the chance to build a family openly.
As a supervisor in the hospital's environmental services department, he was praised by colleagues and union leaders as an exemplary, diligent, and respected employee.
His cousin, Jesús Manuel Gorra, shared with Local SYR that each visit to the detention center has become an emotional endurance test. "We have to lift his spirits and tell him not to lose hope," he said. The concern grows not only over the deportation itself but also the psychological toll of sending him alone to an unfamiliar country, while his husband remains detained awaiting a hearing scheduled for January 22.
According to syracuse.com, both men had applied for asylum in the United States and passed immigration screenings that acknowledged a credible threat to their lives if they returned to Cuba because of their sexual orientation. Nevertheless, the process has ended up separating them and placing them in a legal limbo that now threatens to irreparably disrupt their shared life.
Local union organizations and activists have condemned the case, highlighting it as an extreme example of the harshness of current immigration policies.
Understanding the Implications of the Deportation Case
Why is Alcibiades Lázaro Ramírez González being deported to Ecuador?
The immigration judge ordered his deportation to Ecuador, despite having no ties to the country. The decision has puzzled many, as he has no family or residence there.
What impact will this deportation have on his personal life?
This deportation not only separates him from his husband, who is also detained, but it also uproots him from the life he has built in the United States, causing significant emotional and psychological distress.
What actions are unions and activists taking regarding this case?
Unions and activists are condemning the decision as an extreme example of the harsh immigration policies currently in place, highlighting the lack of humanity in such rulings.