By Raul Antonio Capote on August 31, 2026
In July 2026, ICE recorded more than 46,000 detentions, the highest monthly figure of Trump’s second term. Foto: Getty Images
The anti-immigrant drama in the United States has a long history of tragic stories: separated families, detained artists, patients handcuffed to stretchers, children taken to court…
The summer of 2026 will remain etched in the memory of the immigrant community in the United States from the turning point of a policy that has blurred all boundaries.
What began in January 2025—with the Trump administration’s repeal of guidelines protecting so-called “sensitive spaces”—has escalated into a situation that has transformed hospitals, airports, and courthouses into scenes of arbitrariness and violations of the most basic rights.
The decision, announced as part of the promise to carry out “the largest deportation operation in history,” opened the door for federal agents to enter places where they previously could not operate.
The result was immediate. In July 2026, ICE recorded more than 46,000 arrests, the highest monthly figure of Trump’s second term.
The case of Grace Stephanie Calero Cabanilla, 39, and her daughter Giulianna Mía Carriel Calero, 19, is one example. Both survived a car accident in Florida.
They were rushed to HCA Florida Poinciana Hospital, where Grace was diagnosed with neck injuries and Giulianna suffered a nervous breakdown due to the emotional shock, according to La Tercera.
It was in that emergency room that immigration agents stormed in. A widely circulated video shows both women handcuffed and taken out of the medical center, as patients and hospital staff looked on in shock.
No place is safe: airports, parks, schools, medical centers, and churches can all be raided by immigration agents without a warrant.
For example Cuban percussionist Degnis Bofill Miranda, 38, a 2022 Latin Grammy winner who entered the U.S. legally on an artist exchange visa, was detained on August 19 at Miami International Airport as he was returning from a performance in New York. Cuban pianist Andy García Palacios was arrested alongside him.
A report by the Cato Institute revealed that, since December 2024, approvals of green cards for Cubans have fallen by 99.8 percent, while ICE detentions of people from the island have increased by 463 percent.
Meanwhile, detentions of people from Cuba rose from fewer than 200 per month at the end of 2024 to more than 1,000 per month by the end of 2025.
From January 2025 through February 2026, more than 1,700 Cubans have been deported, and according to official figures, more than 42,000 with final deportation orders remain pending removal.
Furthermore, the escalation has dragged minors into the eye of the storm under the Trump administration. More than 6,200 children have been detained by ICE.
Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, a member of the Political Bureau and Cuba’s foreign minister, denounced in a statement this week that Cubans arriving in the United States face “discriminatory” treatment and that migration has been manipulated “for political purposes.”
What remains, beyond the numbers, are the testimonies of those living through this tragedy: separated families, detained artists, patients handcuffed to stretchers, children without legal representation.
Immigrants are paying a very high price in the land of “freedom”—a price measured in human lives, in the fear that paralyzes entire communities, and in the erosion of trust in institutions. It is a price that has yet to be paid.
material sources include: La Nación, La Tercera, Cato Institute, El Nuevo Herald, DW.
Source: Granma, translation Resumen Latinoamericano – English