MCALLEN - A man who was the victim of extortion by corrupt Mexican immigration officers in Reynosa has been released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention. 

Yosiel Rodriguez-Reyes is a Cuban immigrant who was waiting to request asylum through the McAllen-Reynosa port-of-entry around July of 2018.

He along with several other prospective asylum seekers were held by Mexican immigration officials in Reynosa at a facility on the bridge. 

The officials said they would be released if they were paid $3,500. 

After waiting for several months, a few of them, including Rodriguez-Reyes, escaped and fled to the U.S. through the river on Jan 7.

Since then, Rodriguez-Reyes was under ICE custody.

He was released four months later, this past weekend.

He says he hopes to gain his citizenship and accomplish what he felt he couldn't in Cuba.

"Here I can study. Here I can improve myself. I'm going to improve myself economically, socially, and politically. Those are three really important qualities, very important. Over there you can't do that. I couldn't improve myself at all. Here, they let you do this," said Rodriguez-Reyes.

He is currently in Florida and says he is waiting for his immigration court date. 

The other two men who were also victims of the extortion remain in Mexico.