January 30, 2026 NEW YORK, NY It was supposed to be the moment the nightmare ended. After months of being shuffled through the shadowy network of American detention centers—including the notorious "Alligator Alcatraz"—Allan Dabrio Marrero finally heard the words he and his husband, Matthew, had been praying for: "Granted."
On Tuesday, a federal judge in Mississippi looked at the facts. He saw a man with no criminal record, a man married to a U.S. citizen, and a man with a dedicated community waiting for him back in New York. The judge set bail at $6,000.
In the East Village, the pews of Middle Collegiate Church erupted. Parishioners who had gathered to watch the remote hearing wept and embraced. The battle, it seemed, was won.
The "Invisible Wall" of the DHS
But the celebration was cut short by a cold, bureaucratic maneuver. Despite a direct court order to release Marrero, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has filed a formal "stay," effectively blocking the bond and keeping Allan locked away.
This isn't just a local dispute; it's a window into a ruthless national strategy. DHS attorneys are clinging to a single missed court appointment as justification for continued detention, even after a judge ruled that Allan is not a flight risk.
"They can try to pause us, but they cannot stop us," Matthew Marrero said, exhausted but defiant. "My husband is super strong... I just ask that everybody keep us in your thoughts and your prayers."
A Pattern of Defiance
Legal experts and church leaders say what is happening to the Marreros is part of a disturbing trend. Across the country—from California to Minnesota—the government is increasingly using these "stays" to override judicial decisions, keeping immigrants in a state of legal limbo even when a judge says they should go home.
