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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the arrest of two Cuban citizens with criminal records for serious offenses, who were placed on the list of "the worst illegal foreign criminals" in the country.
Agents of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested two undocumented Cuban immigrants for offenses committed in Florida and Puerto Rico, as part of the federal crackdown focused on capturing foreigners with a criminal history who pose a threat to national and public security and deporting them from the country.
Over the weekend, ICE took custody of the Cuban Pablo Iván Gómez Torres, who has a record of convictions for homicide, robbery, kidnapping, and fraud in Miami, Florida, the DHS said in a statement on its official website.
On December 11, agents from the agency arrested Mauro Humberto López Alemán, who had been convicted of arson in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Cubans were presented alongside illegal immigrants who, the DHS pointed out, have committed “horrific crimes,” such as murder, sexual assault against children, sexual exploitation of minors, possession of child pornography, and drug trafficking.
These cases are publicly presented by the authorities as examples of the tightening of immigration actions against foreigners with a criminal history.
The DHS, through ICE and other federal and state agencies and law enforcement, has intensified its offensive to arrest and deport illegal immigrants deemed a threat to the security of Americans.
In recent weeks, ICE operations have increased in frequency and scope across the country, in a context of heightened immigration pressure and strict enforcement of the laws.
The administration of Donald Trump has further raised the stakes in its crusade against illegal immigration, which not only focuses on the arrest and deportation of violent foreign criminals but also targets individuals at various stages of their immigration processes who have not committed any crimes.
Today, the newspaper The New York Times revealed that 22 Cuban migrants were sent to the Guantanamo Naval Base in eastern Cuba this week on a charter flight from ICE coming from Louisiana. This means that the military enclave is once again operating as a migration detention center after months of pause.
According to sources quoted by the newspaper, five of the deported Cubans were classified as "high-risk illegal foreigners" and were held in a prison that previously housed suspected members of Al Qaeda.
The Department of National Security has not specified what the final destination for the Cubans will be, nor whether they will be handed over to the regime in Havana.
The U.S. is facing difficulties in carrying out deportations of certain migrants to Cuba due to the island government's refusal to accept nationals who committed crimes and served sentences in U.S. prisons, having left the country before the migration agreements of 2017.
In recent days, reports emerged suggesting a possible shift in Washington's immigration strategy, moving away from mass raids towards a more selective approach. However, this week the Trump administration denied any changes to the operations of detention and deportation of immigrants.
Migration operations have sparked protests, reports of detentions and harassment based on racial profiling, and a growing citizen backlash. Recent surveys have revealed a decline in approval of Trump's immigration policies and an increase in fear among immigrants.
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