South Florida Immigration Attorney Maribel A. Pizá Wins Victory For Cuban Dissident Rafter Facing Deportation
— Attorney Maribel A. Pizá successfully represents Hailey Alvarez-Martinez, a Cuban national, in reopening his case to remove the deportation order that was given to him shortly after his arrival in the US on a makeshift raft in January 2021 —
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — March 11, 2022 — (NOTICIAS NEWSWIRE) — Fearing for his life after years of torture and harassment by the Cuban regime, dissident Hailey Alvarez-Martinez, a humble carpenter from Matanzas, Cuba, was both courageous and desperate enough to flee his native country and set to sea in a motorless boat made of scraps. Border Patrol agents intercepted the raft off Marathon, Florida in January 2021. They detained – and later released – Hailey along with the six other migrants who embarked on the perilous journey. The migrants were ordered to submit an application for asylum by Feb. 22.
When Hailey failed to meet the deadline, he was ordered deported.
“Although the law allowed Hailey to file for Asylum, he was incapable of doing so on the February 22 deadline due to the shock and the trauma of his escape from Cuba,” said Immigration Attorney Maribel A Pizá, who represented Hailey in avoiding the deportation. “His treatment at the hands of the Cuban authorities and subsequent journey to the US traumatized and rendered him incapable of discerning and properly pursuing his own best interest vis a vis claiming asylum.”
Hailey is father to Jason Alvarez Camejo, born in 2017, who stayed behind with his mother and Hailey’s long-term companion, Barbara Camejo Perdomo. Hailey recounted that his life in Cuba consisted primarily of a horse, a cart, and the use of his hands. He is a self-taught carpenter with two middle fingers cut off halfway down as a result of his trade. But these are not the only scars Hailey carries with him from the Cuban Regime. He has visible scars on his face and a cracked tooth.
“He was imprisoned, beaten, and tortured all for simply having different ideas than those who favor the tyrannical Cuban government,” Pizá said.
On the morning of January 12, 2021, Border Patrol agents in Marathon intercepted a “rustica-type raft” near Boot Key Harbor, according to the Tweet posted by Chief Border Patrol AMO Regional Director. In total seven Cuban migrants were detained, one of whom was an underaged minor and immediately separated from the adults and later released to family.
In total all 6 adults were eventually released; however, Hailey had to appear in court on February 3, 2021, where he was given an application for asylum Form I-589 in English. He was scheduled to return with application duly completed on February 22, 2021. He was unable to do so and was therefore ordered deported.
With the help of friends and his boss at work, Hailey retained Ms. Maribel Pizá to assist him with his immigration case. After careful analysis of the case, Ms. Pizá presented the motion to reopen the case and remove the deportation order. The Judge agreed and Mr. Hailey Alvarez Martinez is now able to fight his asylum case.
On February 14, 2022, Hailey walked out of the Krome Detention Center after having the deportation order removed, his case was reopened, and now transferred to the Miami Immigration Court in downtown Miami on the River to fight his asylum case.
“After years of torture, harassment, and beatings at the hands of the Cuban Police, Hailey was determined to not give up,” Pizá said.
About Maribel A. Pizá
Maribel A. Pizá is a child of immigrants and a nationally renowned immigration attorney with three South Florida offices and two radio shows. She is a proud Cuban-American who has devoted her legal career advocating for migrants’ rights. Maribel is also an entrepreneur and investor in various media, entertainment, and restaurant ventures. She is the senior partner, board member, and legal counsel of RetroPop Con, a throwback pop culture convention.
Prior to relocating to Florida in 2006, Maribel was an Assistant District Attorney in New Orleans, where she graduated from Loyola University with a JD/MBA in 2002. She served as a Judicial Law Clerk in Civil District Court in Orleans Parish for the Honorable Sonja Spears. Maribel got an early taste in business in 1992, when she and a partner bought New Orleans’ Dixie Tavern on Canal Street.
Maribel regained the bar’s lost live performance license and developed a recognized live music venue that nurtured local talent and was featured on MTV and VH-1. Prior to New Orleans, Maribel attended the U.S. Coast Guard Academy from 1986 to 1989 after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy Prep School in Newport, Rhode Island. An avid volunteer, Maribel is on the Advisory Council for the Cleveland Orchestra in Miami. She supports tomorrow’s young artists and immigrant students through the Alma Hispana arts scholarship in Palm Beach County and Casa Maya in Lake Worth.
Foto: Chief Patrol Agent Thomas G. Martin en Twitter