Cuban deportation flight arrives at Havana under the new Trump administration

This Thursday came to Havana a flight with more than a hundred Cubans deported from the United States, official sources said. It is the first after the arrival of Donald Trump to the White House on January 20.

According to the report, the US repatriated 104 Cubans as part of the bilateral migratory agreements with Havana.

With this operation, which adds to another held on January 23, there are already 11 return operations so far this year, totaling 296 returned, the authorities said.

On December 19, the United States Immigration and Customs Control Service (ICE) made its last 2024 deportation flight, transporting 42 people who had irregularly entered the country.

Since the beginning of the administration of former president Joe Biden, a total of 42 repatriation flights have been made, in which 978 Cuban citizens were returned.

Cubans detained by ICE

This week, ICE agents arrested Álvaro Fernando Medina Melo, 38 years old, after appearing at a routine appointment at the agency’s offices in Miramar, Broward County. His arrest generated concern within the Cuban community, since Medina had an I-220A. However, his arrest was linked to an deportation order derived from a failed attempt to irregular admission to the United States in 2019.

On February 16, the border patrol of the Tucson sector, Arizona, reported the arrest of a Cuban family of four members when they tried to cross illegally through the Papago area. After being intercepted, the authorities initiated an expedited deportation process.

According to official ICE data, there are currently 42,084 Cubans with final deportation order under supervised freedom in the United States, because the Cuban regime refuses to accept them. The repatriation of these individuals depends on the disposition of the Government of Havana, in accordance with the migratory agreements established in 2017 after the elimination of the «dry feet/wet feet» policy.