The recent arrest of 22-year-old Cuban national Julio David Pérez Rodríguez has set off alarm bells among migrant communities and human rights defenders in the United States, in the case of undocumented immigrants.
Perez was arrested by undercover Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents last week in an elevator of the immigration court in Miami, Florida, just after attending a hearingrelated to his asylum application.
A pattern of similar arrests of undocumented immigrants throughout the country
The moment was captured on video and broadcast by Noticias Telemundo, generating a wave of reactions.
“If I haven’t done anything illegal, why do they have me in handcuffs?” he exclaimed in tears as he was restrained. His question reflects the confusion and indignation shared by many immigrants going through similar situations in 2025.
According to reports from immigration attorneys and community organizations, Perez’s situation is not isolated.
Since mid-May 2025, dozens of immigrants have been detained by ICE agents in similar circumstances after appearing for legal hearings or appointments with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Many of them had active asylum cases or were in the process of initiating a formal application.
Billy Botch of the American Friends Service Committee in Florida confirmed that even people with closed or dismissed cases have been arrested in the hallways of courthouses or as they leave immigration interviews.
A questioned legal strategy
Gregory Chen, senior director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), expressed concern about the use of legal strategies that appear to avoid due process guarantees.
“We are talking about people who are already complying with the legal judicial process,” Chen noted.
As he explained, government attorneys are asking judges to dismiss cases orally, without filing a written motion as required by the immigration court practice manual.
This limits the time immigrants have to respond, which should normally be 10 days.
Some judges, he said, are granting these requests immediately, leaving immigrants vulnerable to expedited deportation.
Expedited Removal: From Border Policy to National Practice
The legal figure of “expedited removal,” traditionally applied to persons apprehended within 100 miles of the border and with less than two years in the country, is now being used nationwide.
Authorities under the new Trump Administration have expanded its use as a tool to expedite deportations of undocumented immigrants, primarily people who entered the country during Joe Biden’s presidency.
Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin defended this policy by stating that the Administration is “restoring the rule of law” after what she considers excessive permissiveness on the part of the previous administration.
He accused the Biden Administration of releasing millions of immigrants without proper verification, including some with serious criminal records.
Indocumentados están siendo objeto de 'trampas' por parte de la administración de Trump
What can affected immigrants do?
AILA y abogados de inmigración están recomendando a quienes tengan audiencias judiciales que exijan al gobierno presentar por escrito cualquier moción para desestimar su caso.
Esta solicitud formal permite ganar tiempo para responder legalmente y tratar de evitar una deportación inmediata.
Además, se aconseja a los inmigrantes acudir acompañados de un abogado o representante legal acreditado, especialmente si tienen entrevistas con USCIS o comparecencias en tribunales.
En ciudades como Miami, Nueva York, Houston y Los Ángeles, ya se han reportado detenciones similares durante procesos que tradicionalmente no conllevaban riesgos inmediatos de deportación.
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