The United States government is gearing up to initiate the first deportation flight of immigrants to Cuba during President Donald Trump's second term, potentially as soon as this Thursday. Recent reports from Miami-based media and journalists suggest that the Trump administration is set to resume the monthly deportation flights of Cubans, a practice that started in April 2023 through an agreement between the U.S. government and the regime in Havana.
News outlet Café Fuerte, citing unofficial sources, revealed that a flight carrying deportable Cubans might depart from Miami to Havana this Thursday. This would mark the first such flight since Trump's return to the White House on January 20. The last deportation flight arranged by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to Cuba occurred on December 19, carrying 42 Cubans who had entered the U.S. unlawfully.
During the Democratic administration of Joe Biden, there were 21 deportation flights, resulting in the return of 978 Cuban immigrants. In recent weeks, ICE agents have been detaining Cuban immigrants with final deportation orders as part of Trump's immigration enforcement operations aimed at curbing illegal immigration.
Heightened Deportation Efforts Target Various Individuals
Journalist Wilfredo Cancio Isla noted that these raids are unprecedented because they target not only Cubans with deportation orders due to immigration violations and concluded immigration court cases but also individuals who are ineligible due to having committed serious offenses and having served significant sentences in the U.S. Café Fuerte highlighted the case of a Cuban resident in the Florida Keys who was arrested by ICE on Tuesday and taken to a detention center in Marathon, subsequently transferred to the Krome Detention Center in South Miami-Dade, and may soon be deported to Cuba.
Family sources informed the news site that the man emigrated during the 1980 Mariel exodus at the age of seven and has no relatives or home to return to in Cuba. Additionally, Univisión reported this week on Álvaro Fernando Medina Melo, a 38-year-old Cuban living in Florida, who was detained by ICE officers after attending his fourth routine check-in in Miramar, Broward County, despite being on parole with an I-220A form.
Legal Concerns and Future Deportations
In recent weeks, CiberCuba has covered the detentions of irregular Cuban immigrants who face deportation, according to immigration authorities. Raids in Florida, Texas, and Arizona have led to the arrest of dozens of Cubans with serious criminal records, pending deportation orders, or those attempting illegal entry into the U.S.
Amid growing concerns among Cuban migrants in the U.S., immigration lawyers have stated that there is a "very high probability" that Cubans who entered through humanitarian parole programs and CBP ONE and have been in the country for less than two years could be deported by the Trump administration. Conversely, experts assert that individuals holding the I-220A form are not at risk of deportation if they have pending cases with immigration authorities.
During Trump's first presidential term (2017-2021), ICE recorded the highest number of Cuban deportations, with 3,385 individuals sent back, primarily those who entered the U.S. irregularly and lost asylum options (I-220B). In contrast, Barack Obama deported 341 Cubans, and George W. Bush deported 416, according to data compiled by Café Fuerte. Official ICE figures indicate that 42,084 Cubans in the U.S. have final deportation orders but remain under supervised release because the Cuban government refuses to accept them.
Understanding Cuba-U.S. Deportation Dynamics
Why is the U.S. resuming deportation flights to Cuba?
The U.S. is resuming deportation flights to Cuba as part of an agreement with the Cuban government and to enforce immigration laws under the Trump administration, which aims to curb illegal immigration.
Who is being targeted in the recent ICE raids?
The recent ICE raids target Cubans with final deportation orders, those with serious criminal records, and individuals who entered the U.S. illegally and have exhausted their legal options for remaining.
Are all Cuban immigrants at risk of deportation?
Not all Cuban immigrants are at risk. Those with pending immigration cases and holding an I-220A form are generally not at risk of deportation, whereas people who entered through certain parole programs may face deportation if they have been in the U.S. for less than two years.