By Raúl Antonio Capote, on September 25, 2026
illustration: Adano
As detentions of Cubans in the United States increase, the voices most critical of Havana remain silent; no politician—and almost none of the so-called influencers—is speaking out to denounce the abuse.
The Trump administration has expanded so-called “third-country deportations” through agreements with more than 30 nations, including at least 12 African countries.
It is important to begin by noting that most Cubans detained and deported to third countries did not cross the border illegally; their entry was, at the time, legal and authorized by U.S. authorities.
The most common mechanism was Form I-220A, a “parole” or “recognition” document; some even entered on humanitarian parole through the family reunification program, which allowed them to apply for residency.
However, the current administration has attempted to revoke these programs and has left many in a state of legal uncertainty, even though their original entry was fully authorized.
Recently, on three ICE flights, more than 100 immigrants were sent to eight African countries: Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Liberia, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone. Among them were Cuban citizens; most had no prior ties to those countries, and many only learned of their destination once the plane was already in the air.
Despite this, Cuban-American members of Congress—who are so active on issues concerning the island—have barely raised their voices on behalf of those who are persecuted, imprisoned, and deported to African countries and other parts of the world. There have been no hearings, letters, or tweets.
María Elvira Salazar, Carlos Giménez, Mario Díaz-Balart, and Marco Rubio have built their careers as “opponents” of the Cuban Revolution and as critics of alleged human rights violations on the island, but in the face of the detention, legal uncertainty, and deportation of Cubans in their own districts, they have not mounted a joint response—not even one of comparable magnitude.
Instead, they did call for stricter review of licenses for flights, remittances, and transactions with Cuba—a measure that could restrict or make those services more expensive for Cuban families trying to help their loved ones on the island.
The contrast is clear: maximum pressure on Havana and a far less visible response to the harm suffered by families in Miami. This failure affects more than just Cubans; when representatives tolerate an immigration policy lacking sufficient transparency and respect for due process, they leave immigrant families throughout the region vulnerable.
Data Trumps Narrative
The figures speak for themselves: by January 2026, ICE had detained more than 1,000 Cuban immigrants in a single month. There is no official breakdown of the total number of Cubans currently held in detention centers, but available data indicates that 65,135 people of all nationalities were in ICE facilities in November 2025.
It is known that at least 18 Cubans with Form I-220A were arrested in South Florida during supervision appointments in March 2025, and it is estimated that there are currently more than 42,000 with final deportation orders in the United States.
Behind every number is a life, a family, and a name. For example, Denis Cabrera Rodríguez, an artist and asylum seeker with type 1 diabetes, was detained on November 26, 2025, and held at the Krome North Processing Center in Florida.
According to Amnesty International, he did not receive adequate monitoring of his blood sugar levels, insulin, or an appropriate diet at the center. ICE also denied his requests to be transferred to a hospital.
His case is not unique. Denny Adan González, a 33-year-old Cuban, died on April 28, 2026, at the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia while in ICE custody.
This case adds to the 32 immigrants of all nationalities who died in ICE custody in 2025—the highest number in more than two decades. His family, in Cuba and the United States, continues to wait for answers.
These are not abstract figures: this policy separates parents from their children and leaves teenagers without both parents in a country that promised them protection. A 14-year-old Cuban girl was left without either parent in Florida after ICE detained her father, just months after her mother had been deported to Mexico.
Organizations such as Human Rights Watch have denounced these deportations as violations of international law and have highlighted the “harsh conditions” in the detention centers where these individuals are held.
A Human Rights Watch (HRW) report documented that 4,353 Cubans were deported to Mexico between January 2025 and March 2026—more than one-third of all migrants from third countries expelled to Mexican territory.
According to HRW, U.S. authorities violated the Cubans’ right to due process and expelled them to Mexico without documentation, money, or other personal belongings.
Furthermore, the lack of transparency in third-country deportation agreements and the absence of disaggregated data on the detained Cuban population make it difficult to arrive at an accurate figure. This, in itself, constitutes an obstacle to accountability.
Meanwhile, the silence of those in Congress who should be taking action against such practices makes them complicit; the Cuban community in Miami—the very community that campaigned for Trump—now watches as their friends, family members, neighbors, and coworkers are detained and deported to countries with which they have no ties.
The representatives who promised to defend them remain silent; meanwhile, flights continue to depart, filled with Cubans bound for a destination they never chose.
References
EFE. (August 30, 2026). Trump Expands Deportations to Third Countries by Sending Cubans and Afghans to Africa. https://efe.com/mundo/2026-08-30/estados-deportaciones-inmigrantes-paises-africa-trump/
Amnesty International. (2026). Urgent Action: Cuban asylum seeker with diabetes released. https://www.amnesty.org/es/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/04/AMR5108712026SPANISH.pdf
Cuba Información. (2025, April 24). U.S., persecution based on nationality. https://www.cubainformacion.tv/la-columna/20250424/115389/115389-eeuu-persecucion-por-nacionalidad
RFI. (2026, September 22). Deported Migrants: When Washington Engages in “Opaque Bargaining” with African States. https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20260922-migrants-expulsés-quand-Washington-se-livre-à-un-marchandage-opaque-avec-des-états-africains.
Source: Cuba en Resumen