On Tuesday, Brooklyn resident Allan Dabrio Marrero returned to New York after more than 150 days in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, reuniting with his husband and a church community that had been fighting for him the entire time. His detention began in November, when Marrero says he was taken into custody during what he and his husband believed would be a routine marriage-based green-card interview in Lower Manhattan. Supporters at Middle Church described the reunion as deeply emotional and a hard-won victory for local immigrant advocates.
He was released on April 23 after posting a $6,000 bond, covered with help from Envision Freedom Fund, according to Spectrum News NY1. Marrero’s lawyer says that release should have happened months earlier, after an immigration judge approved bond in late January. Advocates say ICE effectively slow-walked his freedom by resisting efforts to pay the bond, turning what felt like a courtroom win into a drawn-out fight for the couple and their supporters.
From 26 Federal Plaza to "Alligator Alcatraz"
Marrero was first detained at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan, then shuffled through a series of detention centers around the country, including a facility in Florida that activists have dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" and the Adams County Correctional Center in Natchez, Mississippi. His legal team and family say the overnight transfers and conditions in some of these facilities caused both physical and psychological harm. CBS New York reported that Marrero was moved to five different detention centers during his time in custody.
Reunion and reaction
Speaking at a gathering in Manhattan, Marrero said he is still "trying to re-adjust" after months away from home, calling the transfers and conditions traumatic. His husband, Matthew, told supporters that the couple felt "violated and deeply traumatized," but also said the ordeal revealed a level of resilience in their family and community that they had not expected to need to show. ABC7 New York covered the emotional welcome, which drew local faith leaders and elected officials who had backed the push for his release.
Legal questions over delayed release
Attorneys say a judge approved bond in January, yet ICE declined to accept payment for months. Advocates describe that delay as an informal "auto stay" practice that kept Marrero behind bars even after bond was granted. The Department of Homeland Security told reporters that Marrero had overstayed a tourist visa and missed a hearing that triggered a removal order, an account his lawyers dispute as they work to reopen his case. Those competing versions of events have fueled calls for clearer procedures at immigration interviews and helped spur litigation on his behalf, per Spectrum News NY1.
What comes next
The Marreros say they plan to keep pushing to complete Allan’s green-card process and to use their ordeal to advocate for others facing similar detentions. Hoodline previously covered the couple’s bond hearing earlier this year, when a judge first approved bond and Marrero was released on bond. The couple and their attorneys say they intend to pursue appeals and other legal avenues while continuing community outreach, as reported by CBS New York.
Advocates say the case highlights a broader pattern of arrests at immigration interviews that has prompted protests and legal challenges across the city. Local reporting has traced how routine USCIS appointments at 26 Federal Plaza have become a flashpoint for enforcement and community pushback, including coverage by Documented.
