A former Cuban judge who was honored on national television less than a year and a half ago for her "loyalty to the revolution" now faces an expulsion process in the United States after entering the country by lying about her political and institutional past.
Juana Orquídea Acanda Rodríguez, 62 years old, was detained on March 20 by agents of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at Miami International Airport.
What has caused the greatest outrage among some sectors of the Cuban exile community is that just a few months before her arrival in the United States, she was honored on the Island for her loyalty to the revolutionary system.
In December 2023, during the ceremony for the 50th anniversary of the People's Court System, he received the Order of Judicial Merit, one of the highest distinctions in the field.
The moment was broadcast by the television center TV Yumurí, where Acanda Rodríguez appeared visibly moved, holding a bouquet of flowers and publicly expressing her gratitude to the revolution.
"It is indescribable, it is the recognition of a lifetime of work, of what I did in realizing my dreams, and it is the best example of what the work of the revolution is," he declared then before the cameras.
The former official arrived in the country with an immigrant visa obtained through family sponsorship, but she did not disclose that she had been an active member of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) nor that she had worked for over three decades as a judge in Matanzas, where she was a prominent figure in the regime.
According to reports from journalist Mario J. Pentón and a statement from CBP, Acanda Rodríguez provided "false information" during her immigration process to gain entry into the country. The agency indicated that the woman admitted to having concealed key details about her ideological and professional ties to the judicial apparatus of the communist regime.
That contrast between her public exaltation in Cuba and her attempt to settle in the United States as an ordinary immigrant has ignited the debate over the effectiveness of immigration controls and the arrival of individuals connected to the regime's repressive apparatus.
The former judge now faces federal charges of immigration fraud, misrepresentation, and submission of false documentation under Title 18 of the United States Code. Additionally, she has been declared inadmissible under Section 212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, placing her in deportation proceedings and potential prosecution.
The case of Acanda Rodríguez adds to a growing series of Cuban regime officials who have managed to enter the United States by concealing their credentials and political ties, whether through family reunification programs, humanitarian visas, or parole.
This phenomenon has provoked strong backlash within the Cuban-American community, particularly in South Florida, where exile organizations and several congress members have demanded stricter measures to prevent individuals with a history of collaboration with the communist regime from finding refuge in a country that has been a symbol of freedom for thousands of persecuted Cubans for decades.
From Washington, the State Department reiterated that the issuance of a visa does not guarantee definitive access to the country, and that all beneficiaries are subject to ongoing review even after their arrival.
"We are committed to protecting our borders and ensuring that those entering the United States do so transparently and without ties to authoritarian regimes," stated a spokesperson.
Meanwhile, Juana Orquídea Acanda Rodríguez remains in federal custody, awaiting judicial decisions that could return her to the country whose revolutionary work she did not hesitate to praise... until she tried to leave it behind.
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