USCIS confirms the detention of four Cubans in Florida who have had deportation orders for years

Four Cuban citizens convicted of sexual offenses, who have pending deportation orders for years and did not leave the country, were arrested this week in Palm Beach County, Florida, federal authorities confirmed.

A notice released by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), through its official account on platform X, indicated that the federal agency's intervention was crucial in the detention of Cuban immigrants.

"We played a key role in the arrest of four convicted sex offenders in Palm Beach County, Florida. All of them were Cuban and had been ordered deported from the country years ago," said USCIS, which did not disclose the identities of the detainees or their criminal backgrounds.

The report also did not disclose the reasons why the individuals did not comply with the deportation orders, nor from what date they were issued, but warned that "their time in the United States has ended."

These arrests are part of the offensive launched by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) against illegal immigration, carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in conjunction with other federal and state agencies and law enforcement forces.

Federal authorities have increased the frequency and scope of operations to locate, capture, and expel immigrants with serious criminal records, regarded as a threat to public safety. They assert that their goal is to protect American communities from dangerous repeat offenders and to enforce the country’s immigration laws.

The raids have resulted in the detention of thousands of undocumented foreigners in recent months, who are being processed for deportation.

In this context, numerous arrests of Cuban citizens with a criminal record have been reported, who remain in ICE custody awaiting deportation.

However, the U.S. faces difficulties executing the deportation of certain migrants to Cuba, due to the refusal of the Havana government to accept nationals who committed crimes and served sentences in U.S. prisons, who left the country before the 2017 immigration agreements.

For this reason, some Cubans with final deportation orders have been sent to third countries with which they have no connection, which can pose risks for them.

The recent arrests of Cubans occur at a time when the Trump administration has intensified its strategy against illegal immigration, which is not only focused on the arrest and expulsion of violent foreign criminals but also targets individuals at various stages of their immigration processes who have not committed any crimes.