The Cuban journalist residing in Miami, Javier Díaz, accompanied a compatriot with a deportation order to his appointment at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), where he was detained without a specific reason.
"I was there to witness firsthand what he feels on behalf of other thousands of Cubans who still cannot legalize themselves in the country and are being called by the federal agency," he said on his Instagram account. This Wednesday, Díaz traveled to Miramar, in Broward County, with Roilan Corrales Martínez, a Cuban who arrived in the country in 2019 and, after being detained for a year and nine months, was released with a deportation order, despite having passed his credible fear interview.
"These interviews with ICE become his worst nightmare due to the possibility of being deported," the reporter noted.
Fortunately, Corrales Martínez was released, but with another appointment scheduled for January 2025. In the months remaining, he must try to legalize his situation.
His case is similar to that of thousands of Cubans who remain in a migratory limbo in the United States after entering the territory irregularly.
Every day, dozens of illegal immigrants go to the ICE offices for their appointments, which may be for a routine check, such as verifying their address or seeing if they have changed their status, but in the worst-case scenario, to detain them and send them back to Cuba if the regime accepts them.
Nervous and worried, they go to the interview, knowing that if they don't, they may be considered fugitives from U.S. authorities.
"When you think you're having a bad day, remember this photo: they are migrants, mostly Cubans, who have an appointment with ICE and after passing this checkpoint, they risk being detained and therefore deported," said Javier Díaz on his Facebook wall, alongside the photo of a long line of Cubans—many with document I-220B—waiting for their turn.
"It is incredible how overnight the lives of people who do not yet have legal status in the United States can change," he commented.
In recent weeks, immigration lawyers in Miami have reported that authorities are arresting and deporting migrants with an I-220B form (deportation order), mostly young individuals without criminal records who are working and integrated into society.
Last week, the United States returned 54 irregular migrants to Cuba on a flight that landed at José Martí International Airport.
This was the 16th flight since deportations resumed in April of last year. A total of 768 people have been returned.
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