Cuban couple Mercedes Dueñas and Omar Noriega told the AmericaTeVe channel that they have been sleeping on the streets of Miami for several months, under a bridge, on Second Avenue and First Street in the southwest of this Florida city.
Dueñas has been in the United States for more than a year with her husband, just over seven months. Both entered the southern border, during the 2022 immigration wave. When they entered, they gave him an “I220A” type permit, while Noriega received a humanitarian release. But none of them have managed to legalize their situation so far.
“I can’t take it anymore, I swear I can’t take it anymore, sleeping like this on the street, sleeping on the bridge, I have nowhere to relieve myself, I never thought that this process would happen,” the woman complain.
Dueñas showed that he slept under a bridge in downtown Miami, with only a mattress and a blanket. He explains that he urinates in “a tub, in a cart, at night I sleep here and when they take me out of here, I have to sleep on the sidewalk.”
According to the woman, she applied to various food assistance programs at the Department of Children and Families and was always denied. He also says that he has no family in Miami and that in the past week, he has been dealing with health problems.
“That’s a hernia, I don’t know if it’s a hernia from here, because I didn’t have this in Cuba, that hernia came from here for me,” he added.
Regarding this situation, in the medium of the TV, they assure the immigration lawyer in Miami, Willy Allen will help them with the procedures for free and that this Tuesday, May 2, he will meet with them.
Allen commented that “The lady is entitled to help from Child and Family Services, I don’t know why she didn’t get that help, she was also in the United States for over a year, and she should have. filed for asylum before an Immigration Judge and also has the opportunity to apply for residency for one year and one day.
“There is no reason why Children and Families should not give them help to settle in this country,” he said.
Dueñas explained that in Cuba she worked as a cook and her husband as a welder. The woman asked the Cuban community for help to help her with any kind of work.
“What I would like is to have a job where I can work in anything to advance, which we don’t have because we don’t have Social Security or a work permit, and since we don’t have help, what we have. let’s sleep on the street “, he insisted.
