45,000 Cubans Face Deportation Orders in the US

The Cuban community in the United States faces an unprecedented immigration crisis. According to a report by The Guardian, approximately 45,000 Cubans have active deportation orders, while another 550,000 are vulnerable to removal from the country.

A Historic Migration Wave

In the last four years, some 850,000 Cubans have arrived in the United States, the largest migration wave since the 1959 revolution. This figure has put pressure not only on the immigration system but also on the established Cuban-American community itself.

“The people who have been here for many years look at the new generation and say, ‘Who are these people?’” explains Pedro Freyre, a leading Miami attorney whose family fled Castro’s revolution in 1959.

Separated Families

The report documents heartbreaking cases like that of Heidy Sánchez, deported to Cuba in April 2025 while her two-year-old daughter, Kaylin, remained in Tampa with her American husband.

“My little girl was still breastfeeding,” Sánchez recounted from a small town south of Havana. “Waiting to get on the plane, my breasts were swollen, and I kept saying, ‘Kaylin must be hungry.’”

Another case is that of Rosaly Estévez, who chose to “self-deport” along with her three-year-old son Dylan—a US citizen—upon learning she was about to be detained.

The End of Immigration Privileges

Cubans have traditionally enjoyed a privileged position in the United States, with fast-track routes to residency and citizenship. Nearly all those pathways have now closed.

The humanitarian parole program (CHNV) introduced by the Biden administration has been reversed, meaning those who arrived legally now face deportation.

Although ICE isn’t conducting visible raids in Florida—a Republican-run state—its agents still exert enormous pressure. Ernesto Pérez (not his real name), who crossed the Texas border in 2019, describes his situation:

“We have tried to switch to working at home, and we try not to go out at weekends or have any regular life activities. Most of my friends here are in the same situation.”

Tensions Within the Community

The massive arrival of Cubans has created friction within the Cuban-American community itself. “The stock response when someone is picked up is: ‘We came here legally.’ You hear that a lot,” notes Freyre.

Meanwhile, local officials like Dariel Fernández, Miami-Dade County’s first-ever elected tax collector, has used his powers to target local companies doing business with Cuba: sending packages, organizing travel, recharging phones, or arranging elderly care on the island.

What’s Next

With the Trump administration intensifying pressure on Cuba through the oil blockade, the situation for Cuban migrants becomes increasingly precarious. Many of the 1,600 deported so far have already emigrated again to Brazil, Mexico, or Serbia—countries that don’t require visas for Cubans.

The Cuban migration crisis shows no signs of slowing down, and the families caught in the middle pay the highest price.

Source: The Guardian

Related:

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• Nicaragua closes migration route for Cubans