Heidy's husband on family reunification approval: "This is the first step, but from now on, the battle begins."

A few hours ago, Cuban Heidy Sánchez Tejeda, who was deported to Cuba in April due to a deportation order, announced on social media that U.S. authorities had approved family reunification, restoring hope and providing a way for her to reunite with her husband, an American citizen, and her 18-month-old baby, whom she was breastfeeding before returning to Cuba.

Her partner, Carlos Yuniel Valle, has been instrumental in ensuring this process moved forward quickly, with the advice of attorney Claudia Cañizares and some Cuban community leaders and Cuban-American congressmen, such as Kathy Castor, who has supported the streamlining of the reunification process, which has been in progress for two years since these couples married.

Today, the Cuban-American received news that his legal representative had been authorized to continue with the process, which coincides with the interview CiberCuba conducted regarding his wife's situation. In the interview, Valle recounted Heidy's immigration regularization process from her arrival in the United States until her deportation on April 23.

"People think she (Heidy Sánchez) is going to be here tomorrow, but that's not the case. This is the first step, but the battle begins now," the father clarified, following the various opinions he has received regarding a speedy resolution to Heidy's case. Valle noted that his wife arrived in the U.S. through the Mexican border and was unfortunately detained for nine months until she was released with an I-9B form, known as a deportation order.

She adds that on April 20, she attended a routine appointment with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Tampa, and that's when they separated her from her daughter to deport her to the island, taking into account the acceptance of the Cuban authorities, which led to her transfer to Cuba.

It didn't matter at all that she burst into tears and tried to clarify that she had been married to a Cuban man who is a U.S. citizen for two years. Her family reunification process had been stalled for the same amount of time, apparently because it had become intertwined with the residency process she had begun. Having two active legal avenues, advancing at different rates, caused a delay in the other process. She also begged not to be separated from her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, who was still breastfeeding.

Carlos Yuniel Valle met Heidy Sánchez while working at a restaurant, where she was in charge of washing dishes. After a year of dating, they decided to get married. Heidy later began working as a room cleaner in hotels in downtown Tampa and, after a while, earned a nursing degree, which has facilitated her work in elder care.

She was working on that assignment when she was sent back to Cuba. The company she worked for learned about the situation through the news, given the widespread media coverage, and contacted her husband to make payment on the check she owed. When they entered it into Heidy Sánchez's credit cards and her husband checked, it turned out that after her deportation, the bank had canceled them, and the money was lost. "She came into this country on the wrong foot," her husband said.

Heidy Sánchez's life has been full of challenges. She experienced difficulties conceiving, and given her deep desire to be a mother, she decided to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF), which gave her the opportunity to have a daughter. However, her goal wasn't achieved instantly; she had to wait a long time to have her baby. What many people achieve without much effort, she had to earn with sacrifice and determination, but after a year and a half, she was forced to distance herself from her baby.

Upon arriving on the island, she moved to Marianao to live with her mother. However, the death of her stepfather forced the family to relocate to a small room. This change, combined with the melancholy of being away from her daughter and her partner, further depressed this Cuban mother, who contacts her little girl five times a day, despite the power outages and interruptions in communication.

Valle's efforts were substantial in allowing her to move to Artemisa, where she anxiously awaits the successful outcome of her family reunification case. However, the path does not appear to be easy, as she needs three waivers from the U.S. authorities, including one from the deportation process, which prohibits immigrants from entering the U.S. before reaching the age of five.

For now, Yuniel remains optimistic that, thanks to Kathy's support, who has been closely monitoring the situation, he will be able to bring his wife back to the U.S. and restore the family unity they once enjoyed.