Cuban activist Rosa María Payá has publicly appealed to the United States government to halt the mass deportations of her fellow Cubans in light of recent immigration measures introduced by the Trump administration. These measures threaten to strip thousands of island migrants of their legal protection in the U.S.
In a statement on social media platform X, Payá emphasized that the majority of Cubans arriving in the U.S. are escaping the "oppression and poverty" imposed by the Castro dictatorship. She urged U.S. authorities to provide sanctuary to those genuinely seeking freedom.
"The U.S. perceives that change in Cuba is likely imminent. Thank you for welcoming generations of exiles fleeing tyranny. Please offer sanctuary to those escaping and help us end this regime, so Cubans can return to our homeland as #FreeAndFriends of the U.S.," wrote Payá, daughter of the late Oswaldo Payá, a notable Cuban opposition leader and founder of the Varela Project, who was also an official candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011.
Payá also urged immigration authorities to assess each case individually, ensuring only those who provide false information or act as regime agents are deported, taking advantage of American generosity. "Evaluate and deport those who lie or are sent by dictators to exploit the generosity of this country, infiltrate, and commit crimes," she added.
Her statements come during a period of heightened tension following the cancellation of humanitarian parole and the tightening of immigration control policies, which could jeopardize the status of over 500,000 Cubans facing deportation.
As part of her activism, Payá has vocally condemned human rights violations in Cuba on multiple international platforms and leads the organization Cuba Decide, which advocates for democratic transition on the island.
Uncertainty Amid Immigration Policy Changes
The Cuban migrant community in the U.S. is engulfed in uncertainty following the Trump administration's recent decision to halt the processing of permanent residency applications for individuals with humanitarian status, including refugees, asylees, and parole beneficiaries.
According to CBS News, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has instructed its officials to pause the processing of these forms to obtain a "green card," leaving hundreds of thousands, many of them Cubans, in a legal limbo after they had begun their regularization process with humanitarian protection.
"USCIS is implementing a temporary pause on completing certain status adjustment applications while additional identity verification, national security, and fraud prevention processes are completed," the news outlet reported.
Impact on Humanitarian Parole Beneficiaries
The decision to revoke the status of humanitarian parole beneficiaries—a program established in 2022 under the Biden administration—directly affects citizens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. This move impacts more than 530,000 individuals, including approximately 111,000 Cubans. Journalist Wilfredo Cancio suggests that around 26,000 of them could be left unprotected, particularly those who arrived after March 2024 and have not yet met the one-year-and-one-day requirement to apply under the Cuban Adjustment Act.
Legal experts assert that those who began their status adjustment process before the announcement—whether under the Cuban Adjustment Act, asylum, TPS, or special visas like U or T—should not be affected by this suspension in terms of deportation.
However, the most vulnerable are individuals who entered with parole, have not met the one-year-and-one-day requirement, have not applied for asylum, nor started any legal process, and lack alternative protective status. They have been given a 30-day period, ending April 24, to voluntarily leave the country, or they may face expedited deportations. A digital application for "self-deportation" (CBP Home) has been introduced as a measure to pressure affected individuals to leave without judicial intervention.
"Those who have done nothing, unfortunately, are subject to expedited deportation," attorney José Guerrero explained to Univisión. "The government considers them a priority for rapid removal."
Challenges with the I-220A Document
Federal judges have ruled that the I-220A document—issued after crossing the border with Mexico—cannot be used to apply for permanent residency under the Cuban Adjustment Act. Many of these individuals have sought asylum or attempted to utilize other avenues to regularize their stay in the U.S.
The situation for Cubans with this immigration status is concerning, as a recent report indicates nearly 550,000 Cubans in the United States could be at risk of deportation due to the absence of clear pathways for regularization. The uncertainty regarding their legal future and the enforcement of stricter measures by ICE has generated alarm among immigrants and their families, who fear unexpected detention, as has occurred during recent raids in southern Florida.
Broader Immigration Crackdown
The suspension of residency processing for asylees and refugees is not an isolated incident. It is part of a broader strategy by Trump to dismantle the humanitarian programs implemented by Biden, citing that many migrants were "poorly vetted" and that the processes are "riddled with irregularities."
Among the new actions are heightened security and background checks, mandatory review of applicants' social media, and expanded authority to declare foreign groups, including cartels and gangs, as terrorists. Additionally, the processing of applications for Latin American and Ukrainian migrants under other special programs was halted last month, reinforcing the notion that Trump seeks to completely reverse Biden's more humanitarian and flexible approach.
International Reactions and Condemnation
Human rights organizations have responded with concern and severe criticism. Amnesty International labeled the revocation of parole as a display of "disregard for human rights," warning of its devastating impact on vulnerable communities.
Thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Venezuelans, and Nicaraguans who fled humanitarian crises now face the real possibility of being expelled from the U.S., despite having entered legally and followed established processes.
With processing suspended, thousands of Cuban families live in fear of losing everything. Confusion, anxiety, and a desperate search for legal alternatives to avoid deportation and remain in the country they sought for a better life are prevalent on social media and migrant forums.
Key Questions About U.S. Immigration Policy Toward Cubans
What is Rosa María Payá advocating for regarding U.S. immigration policy?
Rosa María Payá is calling for the U.S. government to halt mass deportations of Cubans, emphasizing that most are fleeing oppression and poverty. She urges individual case evaluations to deport only those who lie or act as regime agents.
How has the Trump administration's immigration policy change affected Cubans?
The policy change has paused the processing of permanent residency applications for many Cubans who have humanitarian status, leaving them in legal limbo and at risk of deportation.
What is the impact of revoking the humanitarian parole status?
Revoking humanitarian parole status affects over 530,000 individuals, including approximately 111,000 Cubans, who may lose legal protection and face deportation.