The immigration attorney in Florida, Willy Allen, stated this Monday in an interview with CiberCuba that Cubans with humanitarian parole "have no reason to panic," despite the news last Friday that the Trump Administration plans to revoke this humanitarian parole on Tuesday, which would immediately cancel the work permits of at least 26,000 Cubans who entered the United States with a sponsor's support.
In the lawyer's opinion, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lacks sufficient personnel to go door to door detaining the 26,000 Cubans who entered the United States with humanitarian parole and whose work permits will be revoked this Tuesday, if the forecasts announced on Friday are fulfilled.
It is important to remember that last January, one of the first decisions Trump made was to eliminate the migratory status of Parole, then he halted all immigration processes associated with parole and now he revokes the parole for those who entered the United States with that permit, theoretically for two years, although in the case of Cubans, after one year and one day, they can obtain a 'green card' under the Cuban Adjustment Act.
In Willy Allen's view, those in that situation must be clear that the primary intention of the Trump Administration is to intimidate, which is why it calls for calm. In his opinion, those affected by the new decision to revoke humanitarian parole should maintain a normal life, but with particular caution until they have spent a year and a day in the United States and can apply for the Cuban Adjustment Act.
It refers to avoiding involvement in traffic accidents; driving under the influence of alcohol; being involved in domestic disputes or any other type of incidents with legal consequences, because in that case they will be identified and subjected to what the law stipulates: detention and deportation.
Willy Allen has also sent a message of reassurance to Cuban women with I-220A who were detained a few days ago, such as the case of Beatriz Monteagudo Castillo, who is currently imprisoned in San Diego, California. He explained that women were detained instead of men because there was space in the jails for them and not for the men. Willy Allen believes that no I-220A will be deported to Cuba and that they will leave jail with a residency permit in hand.
The lawyer is unaware if Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar has had any influence on the fact that there have been no further arrests of Cubans with I-220A after she requested high-ranking ICE officials to halt the arrests, as she plans to introduce a bill in Congress aimed at granting legal status to these individuals. Initially, she stated that the idea is for them to be able to access a parole, and then apply for Cuban Adjustment.
However, Allen argues that there is no need to present any law because individuals with I-220A have been interviewed and admitted by U.S. officials, thus meeting the two requirements needed to apply for Cuban Adjustment. In his view, we are facing a political decision by the Department of Homeland Security that could be influenced by the votes of Cuban-American congress members María Elvira Salazar, Mario Díaz-Balart, and Carlos Giménez, which are crucial in the voting process. The lawyer literally believes that the resolution of the I-220A issue is in the hands of those three representatives from Florida.
As has become customary in each of the weekly interviews that Willy Allen gives to CiberCuba, the expert has emphasized the need to provide solid asylums and to request a work permit associated with that residency when applying for residence, even if another one is currently in effect.
Regarding trips to Cuba, he responded to a Cuban with Spanish nationality who has traveled to the Island five times that when he applies for American citizenship, he will be asked about the reason for those trips and will need to explain them very well. Although he continues to argue that there is no danger in traveling, he recommends exercising caution because the rules of the game change continuously from January 22, 2025.
Finally, I clarify that as soon as the humanitarian parole is revoked, the sponsors are released from the responsibilities they assumed with their endorsement.
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