In a scorching letter, Cuban American healthcare billionaire Mike Fernández is urging Cuban American Republican leaders from Miami to stand up to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and speak up or “make room for others who can.” “If you can’t find your voice at this moment, or tell the difference between one dictator and another, then perhaps it is time to make room for others who can and have a vision that you may lack,” Fernández told Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Miami U.S. Reps. Mario Díaz-Balart, María Elvira Salazar and Carlos Giménez in an open letter. He sent a version of the letter to each of them individually on Monday.

The Trump administration canceled humanitarian parole, affecting thousands of Cubans in the U.S. who could face mass deportations by losing their legal status and protection.

In March 2025, the government of President Donald Trump implemented new hardline immigration measures, highlighting the revocation of the humanitarian “parole” created under the Biden administration. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it would terminate the temporary legal status of more than 530,000 migrants (Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans). This decision, formalized in a Federal Register notice, will take effect on April 24, 2025 and shortens the two-year permission period that was originally granted to these migrants to reside and work in the U.S. with temporary authorization.

Starting from that date, all beneficiaries will lose their legal status and employment authorization and, according to DHS, “must leave the country before their parole expires or they will face deportation”.

Cancellation of humanitarian parole and Biden's immigration programs

The cancellation also includes the immediate cessation of new entries for this program: pending travel permits and ongoing sponsorship applications will be canceled, as well as work cards issued under this category. The official notice emphasizes that parole is inherently temporary and, on its own, does not provide a basis for obtaining permanent immigration status.

There will be no extensions or re-parole for those who lose their status after expiration. Those without another legal way to stay must leave the United States within 30 days.

This drastic measure is a response to Executive Order 14165 "Securing Our Borders," which instructed the DHS to eliminate categorical parole programs. Since his return to power, Trump has argued that the large-scale parole processes implemented by Joe Biden constituted an abuse of the authority granted by Congress.

Cubans affected: parole beneficiaries, I-220A, I-220B, and asylum applicants

The Cuban community in the U.S. is among the most affected by these measures. Cuba was one of the four countries included in the CHNV program, which means that thousands of Cubans will lose their residency permits following the cancellation of the parole.

According to official data, around 110,900 Cubans entered the U.S. legally under this program between late 2022 and 2024. Many of them fled the severe economic and political crisis in the Island. After a year in the country, they could apply for the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 to obtain permanent residency.

However, thousands have still not completed that process and are now at risk of jeopardizing their legal status. The DHS's decision also halted the processing of pending status adjustment, asylum, or other immigration benefit applications.

In addition to those who arrived by air with parole, tens of thousands of Cubans entered through the southern border during the migration peak from 2021 to 2023 and received conditional release documents, such as forms I-220A or I-220B. It is estimated that about 400,000 Cubans have an I-220A, while many others hold an I-220B. Together, this could mean approximately 600,000 Cubans in this situation.

The I-220A is not a migration permit but rather a form of conditional release within an open deportation process. A court ruling in 2023 established that it does not equate to a parole, thus it does not allow for eligibility under the Cuban Adjustment Act. Many of these Cubans can only apply for political asylum, although winning the case is not straightforward.

Possible mass deportation and fear in the Cuban community

Migrant rights organizations and the Cuban community in the U.S. fear that these policies lay the groundwork for mass deportations. By losing their legal protection on April 24, tens of thousands of Cubans could be subject to immediate expulsion.

Expedited deportation allows for the removal of certain migrants without a hearing before a judge. Under new ICE guidelines, even those who entered legally with parole or I-220A may be swiftly deported.

The DHS indicated that it will prioritize the deportation of those who have not initiated any legal proceedings (asylum, adjustment, TPS, etc.) before March 25. This puts thousands of Cubans who have not regularized their status at risk.

Many Cubans have been settling in the U.S. for months or years with jobs, rentals, and families. For them, deportation represents a devastating disruption. Some have already been detained by ICE during routine appointments.

Official, legal, and social reactions

Trump allies and conservative sectors applaud the decision as a step toward restoring the rule of law. They argue that no beneficiary had an acquired right to remain and that the parole was, by definition, temporary.

On the other hand, pro-immigrant organizations, lawyers, and activists describe the measure as reckless and cruel. They have begun campaigns to inform Cubans and provide legal support.

Even Republican politicians like Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar have expressed concern about the impact on Cubans with no criminal records. Local governments are also warning about the economic and social damage.

Meanwhile, thousands of Cuban families live in fear and uncertainty. Many recount how their "American dream" could be abruptly shattered. Some have started campaigns to seek legal support before April 24th.

Sources:
    Reuters
    The Guardian
    AP News / Miami Herald
    CiberCuba
    DHS (U.S. Government)

Damir Ortiz, a 10-year-old with leukemia and a rare genetic disease that has caused a tumor in his left eye, was medevaced Wednesday from Cuba to the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, after overcoming bureaucratic obstacles and the reluctance of the Cuban government.
From left to right, Florida United States Representatives Mario Díaz-Balart, Maria Elvira Salazar, and Carlos A. Giménez are three Cuban Americans in the U.S. Congress. They will face tough questions from constituents if a new travel ban by the Trump administration for Cuba and Venezuela goes into effect.

Last month, 79-year-old Martha Beatriz Roque, a prominent dissident and former political prisoner, who received the International Women of Courage Award from the U.S. State Department in absentia last year, was finally allowed to come to Miami by Cuban authorities because she needed medical treatment after falling gravely ill.

“Support for the Cuban people” through cooperation in such humanitarian cases has been a central tenet of U.S. policy under several administrations. Under current versions of a Trump administration plan to ban Cubans from entering the United States, people like Ortiz and Roque would have never made it to Miami — likely dying on the Communist-run island.

The immigration restrictions now on the table would impose an absolute ban on entry by Cuba and Venezuelan nationals, regardless of what country the live in, with no exceptions for the elderly, the sick or harassed dissidents, sources familiar with on-going discussions told the Miami Herald — trapping them in dictatorships recently labeled by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as “enemies of humanity.”

The plan — still being crafted by Stephen Miller, a key advisor to President Donald Trump and architect of his mass deportation plan — would also extend similar but slightly less harsh restrictions on Haitian nationals and, sources say, potentially extend to other Caribbean nations.

Before Trump took office, his team had approached several Caribbean governments to accept undocumented migrants from the U.S. whose nations refused to allow them to be returned. Travel bans on those island nations potentially could be used as bargaining chips in negotiations to accept deportees.

The extreme travel ban policies emerging from the White House have been largely kept from Congress so far but will likely pose a major dilemma for many South Florida politicians, whose communities have large populations of constituents with deep ties to the targeted countries.

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