A chance encounter in Bogota introduced me to "Enrique" - and though we didn't live in the same continent, or speak the same language, a friendship grew, that was followed by something stronger

After years of a gradually intensifying relationship, he arrived in the US in 2024

And for the first time in six years, we saw each other in person as he moved to Charlotte. A few weeks later, a simple misunderstanding and a broken immigration system changed everything.

He was detained, disappeared for weeks, and became one of the first people sent to “Alligator Alcatraz.” This is the story of what happened before, during, and after, and what it really means to start over with nothing.