Keiber Alexander Esposito Martinez, a chef at Casa Azul restaurant in Buffalo's Allentown neighborhood, was detained by ICE in June while on his way to work. He entered the U.S. from Venezuela through a port of entry in 2023, has an active asylum application, no criminal record, and had previously been granted a status protecting him from deportation. Martinez is married to a U.S. citizen and rose from dishwasher to sous chef over three years; restaurant owner Zina Lapi called him a 'model citizen' and said his detention has caused other asylum-seeking employees to quit out of fear. He is being held at the federal detention facility in Batavia and is suing in federal court for his release. His attorney, Matthew Borowski, said Martinez entered the country legally and argued that 'visible groups that look Latino or look Bangladeshi are being targeted.'