After seeking political asylum in the United States, Juan Carlos Santana Novoa, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Security of Cuba, plans to settle in Florida, according to court documents accessed by Martí Noticias.
Santana Novoa sought asylum at the border of Nogales, Arizona, and his preliminary hearing in the U.S. Immigration Court is scheduled for August 21, 2026, in the city of Orlando, before Judge Benjamin Rosen.
Among other points, the case has generated attention, as Santana concealed his position in the Cuban government upon entering U.S. territory. According to sources from the U.S. government - who preferred to remain anonymous - the deputy minister sought protection in the country without initially revealing his position in the Cuban regime, the mentioned outlet reported.
Luis Domínguez, from the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba, commented that Santana has two children on U.S. soil, one of whom recently arrived as well.
Regarding the case, immigration lawyer Wilfredo Allen pointed out that the arrival of high-ranking Cuban officials reflects the deterioration of the political system on the island and indicated that Santana was honest in his application: "He asked for political asylum, presented himself, and said who he was."
Cooperation with U.S. authorities could increase their chances of success in the asylum process, the well-known lawyer added.
The arrival of the minister was announced by journalist Mario J. Pentón on the social network X, based on anonymous government sources, as well as immigrants who interacted with the high-ranking official without knowing who he actually was.
It also emerged that Santos Novoa had already missed a CBP One appointment for being in Cuba and that he "was very mysterious about everything related to his family and his past."
The members of his travel group assured that he was the only person accepted to enter the United States.
"They called him, asked if he was coming with the woman or alone, scanned his face, and let him pass, but for the rest of us, they told us that our appointment was not at this port. We are devastated and, at the same time, we are afraid that they will associate us with that person and put us on some blacklist," revealed one of the interviewees with disappointment.
Although it was deleted, a Facebook post from the Embassy of Cuba in Mexico - dated September 4 - revealed that the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Security of Cuba intervened that day in the panel titled "Structural Reforms and Longevity" at the I Technical Summit of the American Social Security Commissions, held in Mexico City.
Santana Novoa was appointed as Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Security on January 11, 2022, according to the official page of the entity.
In this way, he joined a growing list of Cuban officials who have sought refuge in the U.S., including former prosecutor Rosabel Roca Sampedro and the former head of the Communist Party in Cienfuegos, Manuel Menéndez Castellanos.
To date, the regime on the island has not issued any statements regarding the asylum request of its deputy minister.
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