The Real Cuba | US Migration

Major Miami donor blasts Cuban-American pols for not confronting Trump on immigration

16. April 2025 The Editor Escaping from Cuba, US Migration (1)

Cuban American businessman and political donor Mike Fernández. Cuban American businessman and political donor Mike Fernández.

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.

View the Mike Fernandez Open Letter

In the letter, Fernández, a deep-pocketed Coral Gables political donor, said Trump has adopted “a posture of cruelty” towards immigrants and accused the four politicians of having betrayed the communities they represent by staying silent. “I know what it means to flee tyranny,” he said. “Like you, I carry that history in my bones and that pain in my heart. But like a growing number in our community, I have watched with dismay as the very values we once found sanctuary in are now being attacked by a previously unthinkable threat — the sitting President of the United States. “In the face of all of this, the silence from our own leaders — the sons and daughters of exiles — has become deafening,” he added. “That silence is not neutrality, nor ignorance, it is complicity and cowardice… Your silence has caused fear and real harm to many in our community, in your districts.”

Fernández, the chairman of MBF Healthcare Partners and a prolific political donor who has backed both Republican and Democratic candidates, said in the letter that he intends to ask others to join him in speaking out. He told the Miami Herald he is willing to spend his money on the effort. He has already paid for two full-page ads in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal blasting Trump’s actions and calling on a group of Republican senators to “turn back the tide of tyranny.”

Fernández, a former Republican turned independent, contributed small amounts to both Rubio´s and Salazar’s campaigns in the past. He poured millions into Jeb Bush’s failed presidential campaign in 2016 and was co-finance chairman of former Gov. Rick Scott’s 2014 re-election campaign. Fernández said he thought Cuban American elected leaders and members of the Cabinet like Rubio are afraid to disagree openly with Trump and that he may turn on them. “Our four representatives are just bending the knee to the presidency, because they’re afraid for themselves, they’re afraid for their job,” he told the Herald. “They’re going to be remembered for turning their back on their community. It’s time that we find somebody who fights for what is right, for American values, for this community.”

From left to right, U.S Reps. Mario Díaz-Balart, Maria Elvira Salazar and Carlos Giménez at a change of command ceremony at the U.S. Southern Command on Nov. 7, 2024, in Doral.

Only three months into his second tenure, Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown risks driving a wedge in South Florida, the home of some of the communities most affected so far by the new policies.

Last month, the administration revoked the legal status of about 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who entered the country through a parole program created by the Biden administration and told them to leave or face deportation. A federal has judge halted the administration for now. A similar decision to end Temporary Protected Status for 600,000 Venezuelans has also been put on hold by federal judges. Civil rights organizations are also fighting a decision to end TPS for about half a million Haitians. In recent years, Cuban Americans have turned into a solid Republican voting bloc and many Venezuelans in Doral have also enthusiastically embraced Trump’s MAGA movement. But some Republicans have been quietly signaling disapproval with some of the administration’s policies. Democrats sense an opening in Miami. The Miami Dade Democratic Hispanic Caucus paid for a billboard on the Palmetto Expressway bashing as “traitors” to immigrants the same four Miami politicians singled out by Fernandez in his letter. Since January, the face of America has been changing rapidly from a country that welcomed immigrants to one where international students are deported because of their political opinions, Fernandez told the Herald. He said he fears the country will lose its economic competitive edge because of talent lost to the immigration crackdown.

He also fears the Trump administration’s rapid dismantling of the post-World War II international order will damage the United States’ standing in the world. In his letter, he said that cuts to foreign aid funding efforts to foster political change in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela amount to a “betrayal.” The State Department did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Spokespersons for Díaz-Balart and Giménez said the two had not received the letter. Salazar, who has been more vocal about immigration issues and is sponsoring an immigration reform bill, the Dignity Act, pushed back against Fernandez´s letter. “Who else in Congress has taken on BOTH parties to advocate for those who have no papers, no criminal record, but do the jobs others Americans don’t want to do? It’s been only me,” she said. “My whole time in Congress, I have worked across the aisle to fight for my Dignity Act, the only bipartisan immigration reform law in Congress that provides real solutions to our immigration crisis.” In interviews with Hispanic media, Salazar has said she had personally reached out to leaders of the Department of Homeland Security to intervene on behalf of some detained Cuban migrants and “educate” officials on the need to protect Cubans, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans and Haitians fleeing from dictatorships and political turmoil.

“Cubans cannot be returned,” she said in an interview with local television station América TV. “What we need to get rid of is the Cuban regime… The temporary status protections should also be respected.” But she has avoided publicly clashing with the administration on immigration issues, blaming former President Joe Biden instead for the immigrants’ predicament in a posting on X that triggered a wave of criticism. In his letter, Fernández called it “hypocrisy” to revoke deportation protections to people fleeing dictatorships, “just as our families once did. “I’m just embarrassed and ashamed of how our own sons and daughters of immigrants have turned their back on this community,” Fernández told the Herald. “And they can talk all they want to, but actions are very clear to read.”

View the Mike Fernandez Open Letter

Source: Miami Herald

Trump's immigration measures in March 2025: end of humanitarian parole and its impact on Cubans

22. March 2025 The Editor Escaping from Cuba, US Migration (2)

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)

Trump travel ban: ‘no exceptions’ for Cubans nor Venezuelans.

17. March 2025 The Editor Cuban Exiles, Escaping from Cuba, US Migration (0)

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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Feds arrest Broward Florida resident accused of being a former spy for Cuba

13. March 2025 The Editor The Cuban Comunists, US Migration (0)

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that a group of federal agents had arrested a man in Broward County who was accused of formerly spying for Cuba.
HSI did not identify the gray-haired man by name. The announcement on X described him as “a former member of Cuban intelligence” who had “fraudulently” obtained his lawful permanent resident status and posed a “threat to national security.”

According to Nestor Yglesias, a Miami-based spokesman for HSI, the arrest was in West Park. Aside from HSI, it also involved agents with the FBI and ICE.

It’s unclear if the man was related in any way to the case of Manuel Rocha, a Colombian-American former U.S. diplomat who was sentenced to 15 years in prison last year for spying for Cuba for decades before an undercover FBI agent caught him in Miami.

In a recorded meeting, Rocha, 73, a former U.S. ambassador to Bolivia also known as Victor Manuel Rocha, referred to the U.S. as the “enemy” and boasted about how he pretended to be a hard-nosed conservative while secretly operating as an ideological spy who admired Fidel Castro.

Source: WPLG Channel 10

Fear of deportation grows among Cubans with I-220A in the US

6. February 2025 The Editor Cuban Exiles, Escaping from Cuba, US Migration (0)

Following the new immigration policies, Cubans with I-220A fear being deported while waiting for asylum hearings. The Adjustment Act does not guarantee residency.

Cuban migrants who received an I-220A upon arriving in the United States are afraid and uncertain about what will happen to their lives after the new provisions adopted by the Trump administration.

The document grants them a temporary stay permit in the country while they resolve their legal situation, but many are not sure that it will be enough to avoid deportation.

Yunior Luis Pino Pérez, a participant in the 11J protests, received an I-220A after crossing the border through Mexico. He lives in Miami, where he requested political asylum. This year he has a second hearing to defend his case before the immigration court, but until then he fears being deported.

"My life is in danger in Cuba, after being blackmailed and forced into exile. I simply cannot return," he told Martí Noticias.

Another case is that of Dayvel Álvarez, who arrived in July 2022 and requested asylum shortly after. After a year and a day, he requested residency under the Cuban Adjustment Act. He still has no response from any process.

"I only received the work permit. I am waiting, that is stopped, when I review the case, I still do not have a court date," he said.

Oscar Casanella's story is different. He is a political activist who in Cuba lived harassed and threatened by State Security, especially after the San Isidro Movement was quartered in Old Havana in 2020.

In 2022, he crossed the border with his young son and his pregnant wife. He handed over all the documentation that proved they were a family so that they would not be separated. However, each was given separate documents and did not have an interview.

"We wanted them to do the credible fear interview, we tried that, but they released us with the I-220A without being able to explain that we were politically persecuted," he lamented.

Casanella, a biochemical scientist, applied for political asylum and this year he must have his first court date.

His greatest fear after the new US immigration policy is that "general measures are applied, not case by case analysis, and people who have solid political asylum fall into the same bag as other people."

For many, it is almost a mystery to understand what criteria immigration officers follow at the border to grant an I-220A form or parole. There are families that entered together and their members received different treatment.

According to The Associated Press in 2022, the Border Patrol chose to grant parole because it was a faster process and did not have conditions in the detention centers to receive the avalanche of migrants.

Some Cubans with the I-220A obtained residency by applying for the Cuban Adjustment Act. But in 2023, the United States Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) rejected the option of considering the form as a way to access legal residency, which pushed Cubans to request political asylum.

Thousands of them, who arrived between 2017 and 2024, are in immigration limbo, waiting for their cases to be heard in an immigration court, and according to some lawyers, they could remain like this for years due to the increase in applications.

Note: The Trump administration could tighten immigration policies and increase deportations, posing a significant risk to Cubans with I-220As. While this document offers a certain level of protection, it does not guarantee safety from more restrictive policies.

(Source: cibercuba.com)