Cuban Mother’s Deportation Alarms Cuban Americans, while Trump Plans to Expand Third-Country Expulsions
To receive the U.S. Cuba News Brief in your email, click here
This newsletter is proudly written by humans. Please support this work by donating to CEDA.
Dear Friends,
A Cuban mother’s deportation following a routine immigration check-in has sparked outrage over the treatment of mixed-status families and the broader consequences of U.S. immigration enforcement. Her removal is one of many alarming cases emerging amid a surge in detentions involving Cuban nationals. It underscores the growing vulnerability of families facing a resourced and energized Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), tasked with deporting as many people as possible without regard for the human or economic cost.
In addition to the existing fear of detention, migrants—both documented and undocumented, including many Cubans—are now facing a new and previously unimaginable fear. The Trump Administration is reportedly planning to expand third-country deportations to countries like Libya and Rwanda.
These developments come as Cuban communities face hardship on multiple fronts. This week, Airbnb suspended payments to most Cuban hosts, severing a vital income stream for thousands of families. In southern Mexico, asylum applications from Cubans are spiking. As deportation routes grow more opaque and U.S. enforcement extends its reach, families like that of Heidy Sánchez are caught at the intersection of punitive policy and humanitarian crises.
This month, CEDA re-launched a Cuban migration tracker and timeline, which will be updated monthly.
Cuban migration tracker | Updated on the 1st of every month
Cubans in the US with I-220A: 500,000+
Cubans in the US on CHNV Parole: 110,970
Number of deportations flights to Cuba: 1 per month in 2025
Number of Cubans deported: Cuban state media reported that 82 Cubans were deported to the island in April 2025.
This week in Cuba news…
Judge Affirms Due Process Rights for Migrants at Guantánamo
On May 5, a district judge ruled that migrants detained at Guantánamo must be given a fair chance to raise safety concerns before being deported to third countries—nations other than their country of origin. This decision arrives amid mounting scrutiny of U.S. offshore detention practices and alarming reports of the U.S. government transferring four Venezuelan men from Guantánamo to El Salvador’s mega-prison, CECOT. This order followed accusations that the Trump Administration violated an earlier court order by transferring Venezuelan migrants from Guantánamo to CECOT.
The ruling has cast new light on the Guantánamo migrant detention facility, where operational excess has collided with legal and moral failure. As of May 5, the task force overseeing the site held just 32 migrants, but employed approximately 725 personnel, or more than 22 ICE and military staff for each detainee. With Guantánamo’s role under legal challenge and its credibility eroding, the Trump Administration appears to be shifting strategies.
Rather than scaling back controversial removals, the Trump Administration is reportedly planning to expand third-country deportation deals to nations including Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, and Rwanda. The US already has agreements in place with:
Costa Rica. In February, the US deported 200 migrants, including 80 children, to Costa Rica where they were held in a “reception facility” near the border with Panama. The group includes nationals of Afghanistan, China, Iran, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. After human rights lawyers sued the government of Costa Rica over their treatment of the migrants in April, the country granted them permits to stay in the country for 3 months.
Panama. Roughly 300 migrants, mostly from South and Central Asia, have been deported to Panama. Migrants were first held in a hotel with armed guards and no access to legal counsel and later moved to a jungle camp at the edge of the notoriously dangerous Darién Gap. Some were voluntarily deported to their countries of origin. In early March, the migrants were released from the remote camp and given one month to leave the country.
El Salvador. At least 238 Venezuelan migrants have been deported to El Salvador, specifically to a maximum-security prison called CECOT. The use of CECOT has sparked public outrage and condemnation from members of Congress, several of whom have sent formal letters to the Trump Administration and traveled to the prison to investigate. Some of these deportees were previously detained at Guantánamo. The Trump Administration, citing the Alien Enemies Act, has refused to disclose their identities, and their lawyers and family members have not heard from any of them since their removal.
Mother Deported to Cuba After Routine Immigration Check-In
After a routine check-in at an immigration office in Tampa, Florida, Heidy Sánchez was unexpectedly deported to Cuba along with 82 others on Cuba’s monthly deportation flight. She was separated from her husband and their 1-year-old daughter, both U.S. citizens. Her daughter is still nursing and suffers from epileptic seizures. Sánchez has lived in the US since 2019. Two years ago, her husband submitted a petition for an alien relative as the first step for his wife to receive permanent residency.
Sánchez originally crossed the U.S.–Mexico border during the Trump Administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, which forced asylum seekers to wait across the border for their immigration appointments. However, Sánchez has stated that she was unable to attend her appointment due to threats from cartels that frequently target Cuban migrants for kidnapping and extortion. When she eventually managed to re-enter the US, she told immigration officials her life was in danger in Mexico. She was permitted to stay and, after spending nine months in immigration detention, she was released with an I-220B Order of Supervision and reunited with her family in Tampa.
Sánchez’s case gained such widespread attention that, following a meeting between her husband and Representative Kathy Castor (FL-14), the congresswoman’s office sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to grant Sánchez humanitarian parole so she could return to the US. The letter reads, “Ms. Sánchez’s husband, Carlos Yuniel Valle, advised me that the separation of mother and daughter was so sudden and traumatic that their infant daughter was taken to the hospital.”
While the DHS has not directly addressed Sánchez’s case, the agency issued a statement on X in response to separate reports of U.S. citizen children being deported alongside their mothers. The post stated: “The Trump administration is giving parents in this country illegally the opportunity to self-deport and take control of their departure process, with the potential ability to return the legal, right way and come back to live the American dream.” However, Sánchez and her husband maintain that she was never given the option to bring their infant daughter with her to Cuba.
This case has sparked deep concern and fear within immigrant communities, especially among Cuban Americans in Florida. The widespread attention it has received has brought urgent issues to the forefront, raising pressing questions about the treatment of mixed-status families, the deportation of nursing mothers, and whether and how individuals in Sánchez’s situation can return to the US.
Court Blocks Trump’s Attempt to Revoke Legal Status for CHNV Migrants
On May 5, in a continuation of the legal battle between the courts and the Trump Administration over the termination of the humanitarian parole program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV), the First Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected the Trump Administration’s request to pause a lower court ruling. This decision preserves the legal status and work permits of hundreds of thousands of migrants who entered the US through the CHNV program, including 110,900 Cubans. The court rejected the Administration’s argument that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has unreviewable discretion to terminate these parole grants “en masse”, affirming that such actions are subject to judicial oversight.
The lawsuit challenges both the termination of the CHNV programs and the Trump Administration’s directive to USCIS to freeze all pending applications for parole and related forms of relief. With this latest decision, the district court’s injunction remains in place while the underlying case proceeds.
Cubans and Haitians Lead Asylum Applications in Tapachula, Mexico Amid Shifting U.S. Policies
Tapachula, a city near Mexico's southern border with Guatemala, has become a hub for migrants seeking asylum, particularly for Cubans and Haitians who lead asylum applications in the city. Recent policy changes in the US, especially the revocation of the CBP One app by the Trump Administration in early 2025, have significantly influenced migration patterns, leaving many stranded in Mexico, prompting a surge in asylum applications within the country. Many Cubans are turning to Mexico, hoping to eventually bring their families once they obtain legal status.
In 2024, Tapachula processed approximately 64 percent of all asylum applications in Mexico. On average, about 1,000 migrants arrive each month at the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR) Tapachula office, making it the busiest in the country. In 2024, Cubans accounted for 16,376 asylum applications across Mexico, making them the second-largest group of applicants after Hondurans. 3,514 out of 5,124 Cuban applications were granted refugee status in 2024.
Airbnb Suspends Payments to Most Cuban Hosts
Without any notice, Airbnb suspended payments to most of its hosts based in Cuba, disrupting the livelihoods of thousands of Cubans, primarily in major cities like Havana. This change stems from Airbnb's decision to stop accepting payment methods tied to the Cuban financial system, a move triggered by new U.S. government sanctions.
Until now, running an Airbnb was one of the most efficient ways to earn foreign currency. In a statement to Telemundo 51, Airbnb said, “In accordance with recent United States federal regulations, we have notified hosts in Cuba that they must add a new payment method to their account to continue hosting on Airbnb.”
At the center of the disruption is the recent addition of Orbit S.A. to the Cuba Restricted List, a U.S. federal designation that prohibits U.S. companies from doing business with certain Cuban entities. As a result, Airbnb can no longer send payments to Cuba’s Moneda Libremente Convertible (MLC) accounts. According to the U.S. Department of State, the goal of designation was to “deny resources to the very branches of the Cuban regime.” However, it is now having tangible and immediate consequences for ordinary Cuban civilians.
Currently, only Cuban hosts with foreign bank accounts can continue accepting new bookings on Airbnb. Hosts without such accounts have been banned from taking new reservations. While Airbnb fulfilled payments for existing bookings, those same hosts are now effectively cut off from the platform’s global customer base.
Many hosts in Cuba are trying to adapt by using foreign accounts, family abroad, or virtual cards, but these options bring higher fees and third-party dependence. Hosts lose over 20 percent in commissions, and receiving international payments now costs more. Technical issues also prevent some with foreign bank accounts from updating their information, as the platform blocks operations from Cuba due to U.S. sanctions and legal restrictions.
This change comes as tourism to the island remains on the decline with data from Cuba’s government revealing that tourism from Canadians alone was down 30 percent from last year's numbers for the months of January, February, and March.
Russia promises to invest $1 billion in ally Cuba by 2030
After a meeting at the Kremlin between Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia announced a billion-dollar plan to invest in Cuba by 2030. Russia had previously announced the so-called "Plan 2030" with Cuba, but had not specified a numer until this week. The investments are slated to support electricity production, agriculture and public lighting. In response to a question on the timeline of the project, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko told reporters in Moscow: "it is impossible to achieve things immediately, as if by magic.”
José Daniel Ferrer and Felix Navarro Arrested in Cuba
On April 29, Cuban authorities arrested activists José Daniel Ferrer and Félix Navarro, both of whom were released from prison in January as part of a Vatican-brokered deal that freed 553 political prisoners. According to a post on X by Ferrer’s sister, several others were also detained, including Roilán Zárraga Ferrer, Fernando González Vaillant, Roilán Álvarez Rensoler, as well as Ferrer’s wife, Nelva Ismarays Ortega Tamayo, and their son, Daniel José.
Cuban officials stated that Ferrer’s arrest stemmed from his refusal to attend two mandatory court hearings—an obligation under Cuban law and a condition of his parole. Maricela Sosa, vice president of Cuba’s Supreme Court, claimed that Ferrer and Navarro, “not only failed to comply with the terms of their parole, but publicly promoted disorder, disrespect for authorities on social media, and maintained ties with the head of the U.S. Embassy.” Ferrer, however, has refused to attend the hearings, arguing that his initial imprisonment was unjust. Since his release, he has been running a soup kitchen in Santiago de Cuba.
The U.S. Embassy in Havana and the U.S. Department of State condemned the arrests on X, stating, “The U.S. strongly condemns the brutal treatment and unjust detention of Cuban patriots José Daniel Ferrer, his wife and son, as well as Félix Navarro and several other pro-democracy activists.”
Recommended Reading, Viewing, Events:
Read | El País: Hunt for former Castro agents: from repression in Cuba to immigration detention in the United States
Read (Spanish) | Columbia Law School, Cuba Capacity Building Project: La crisis económica en Cuba, sus causas y la migración
Read | America, América: A New History of the New World by Greg Grandin
