What was supposed to be a brief trip to Pennsylvania to mourn the death of a loved one became a nightmare for a Palm Coast woman who says her fiancé was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shortly after they got off a flight.
Alessandra Robinson said she and her fiancé, Hleb Matskevich, had traveled to Pennsylvania for her grandfather’s funeral. But when they walked out of the airport terminal Friday, Aug. 28, she said four ICE agents were waiting for them.
“It was a lot of fearfulness. I didn’t even get to say goodbye to him,” Robinson said.
Robinson said Matskevich was taken into custody because his visa had expired, as he is in the process of seeking permanent legal status in the United States and has a pending case with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
“When I kept asking why, they weren’t explaining why,” Robinson said. “It seems like they didn’t have a proper thing other than saying his visa had expired.”
Robinson said Matskevich came to the United States legally with his family from Belarus when he was 14 years old under asylum protections. He later built a life in Palm Coast, where Robinson said the couple attended high school together and where Matskevich owns two businesses.
“He grew up here, and he owns two businesses here,” Robinson said.
Robinson said Matskevich has spent most of his life in the United States and would have little to return to in Belarus.
“If he went back home to Belarus, there is no life for him there,” she said.
Matskevich is currently being held at the Pike County Correctional Facility in Pennsylvania, according to Robinson. She said the couple has been communicating through video calls while he remains in custody.
“I have already sent an intent to marry to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which they have approved,” she said. “From there, we will try to get married while he is still in custody.”
Robinson acknowledged that marrying while Matskevich is detained is not the wedding the couple had envisioned.
The couple is now pursuing a bond request in hopes Matskevich can return to Palm Coast while his immigration case proceeds.
Robinson said she has extended her stay in Pennsylvania while she waits for developments in the case.
“What was supposed to be a two-day visit,” Robinson said, has now become an extended stay as she works to reunite with her fiancé.
We have contacted ICE for information more about Matskevich’s detention and the family’s questions and concerns. The agency had not provided a response at the time of reporting.
For Robinson, the immediate goal is straightforward: getting her fiancé home while they work through the immigration process.
“We’ll try to get married while he is still in custody,” she said.