LOWER MANHATTAN, New York (WABC) — A man detained by ICE during a routine green card appointment in Lower Manhattan is finally free after six months in detention.<\/p>\n
It was a joyous homecoming for a beloved member of the Lower East Side community. Allan Michael Marrero was finally released after 150 days in ICE custody.<\/p>\n
“I want to thank my husband Matthew for not allowing me to give up on myself – thank you, I love you,” Marrero said.<\/p>\n
The celebration at Middle Church showcased the small army of supporters who fought tirelessly for Marrero’s freedom.<\/p>\n
He thanked his lawyer, Alex Rizio, for helping to bring him home.<\/p>\n
“Allan is a man with absolutely no criminal history,” said Rizio, an attorney from Make the Road New York.<\/p>\n
Among the supporters were local religious and elected leaders.<\/p>\n
“We’ve been pleased to get more than 30 people released, along with Allan,” said Congressman Dan Goldman.<\/p>\n
Marrero’s husband was also among the supporters.<\/p>\n
“Love brought him home, but justice still has work to do,” Matthew Marrero said.<\/p>\n
The painful saga began at 26 Federal Plaza, back in November of 2025, when Allan Michael Marrero and his husband entered for a routine green card hearing<\/a>.<\/p>\n It was there that the couple learned a removal order had been issued for Allan in 2022, in a piece of mail he missed while between addresses.<\/p>\n The Department of Homeland Security said the removal order was because he had overstayed a tourist visa nearly a decade prior. But Allan, who is from the Cayman Islands, had begun his well-documented asylum process before his visa expired.<\/p>\n He spent his almost half-year in ICE custody being moved between detention centers.<\/p>\n “I was transferred from the federal building in New York City to New Jersey. To New Jersey to Arizona. To Texas to Florida. Alligator Alcatraz to Natchez, Mississippi. I was terrified every night,” Allan Michael Marrero said.<\/p>\n He described harrowing conditions.<\/p>\n “The nightly transfers took a physical toll,” he said. “This is where they would chain you by your ankles, connected to your waist, connected to your wrists for up to eight hours at a time.”<\/p>\n Allan and Matthew are now thrilled to be reunited.<\/p>\n “He’s the love of my life,” Matthew Marrero said.<\/p>\n But Allan is still adjusting to freedom<\/p>\n “Sometimes, I find myself just sitting quietly because I’m so used to it, not wanting to upset the guards,” he said.<\/p>\n He’s vowing to continue to fight for those still in ICE custody.<\/p>\n ———-<\/p>\n * Get Eyewitness News Delivered<\/a> <\/p>\n * More Manhattan news<\/a><\/p>\n * Send us a news tip<\/a><\/p>\n * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts on the go<\/a> <\/p>\n * Download our connected TV app<\/a> <\/p>\n
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