USCIS Kendall office arrests Cuban man who had been ordered deported since 1995

A new arrest by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has captured the attention of the Cuban community amid heightened tensions in Florida regarding immigrants. This is the arrest of a Cuban resident of Kendall who attended an interview to apply for a green card, but authorities, after reviewing his criminal record, took him into custody.

According to a report issued by the government agency, a routine background check revealed that the Cuban national had a final deportation order dating back to 1995. "We worked closely with ICE, and the foreign national was detained while visiting our USCIS office in Kendall. We are committed to making the United States safe again," USCIS said in an official statement.

The government agency did not provide further information on the matter. It is not known how the Cuban had been without legal status in the United States since 1995 or what led him to act now, given the context of stricter immigration policies under the Donald Trump administration.

In any case, the incident underscores the importance of conducting a thorough background check and collaborating with federal agencies such as ICE and USCIS to identify and address potential inconsistencies in immigration records. The Cuban will likely face deportation, although the communist government will have the final decision on whether to accept its citizens who do not meet the requirements for entry into the US.

Officials at the Ministry of the Interior (Minint) tend to dismiss those who have been abroad for a long period. According to the data, they tend to favor those who have emigrated in the last five years, prioritizing young people with no criminal record.

More than 42 Cubans living in the United States have deportation orders, according to updated ICE data. The island is one of the countries with cases of citizens awaiting deportation, surpassed by El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Currently, more than 1.4 million foreigners are awaiting deportation. Deportation orders cover migrants who entered the country without authorization, who have overstayed their stay, or who have committed crimes that have led to a court ruling.

The news site Periódico Cubano recently reported that a Cuban man was able to get his tedious asylum case resolved before a judge after U.S. authorities issued deportation orders twice. The Cuban man first arrived in the United States in 2019 and was arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border. He was then returned to Mexico through the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program. 

While waiting to appear, he was kidnapped in Mexico, which prevented him from attending his immigration hearing. The court issued a deportation order against him. Thanks to the support of an experienced law firm, he was able to prove that his failure to appear was due to circumstances beyond his control.

The lawyer argued the Cuban's eligibility to benefit from the Cuban Adjustment Act, based on documents proving his family's remittances intended for his release, which allowed him to begin the process toward permanent residency in the United States.

After a long wait, the court approved his application and granted two pardons: one before an immigration judge and the other before ICE. This progress in his situation was made possible thanks to a previously granted pardon, although it was unknown to the applicant. This presented the opportunity for him to continue his legalization process in the country.