At least seven Cuban families who crossed the border illegally during the Biden administration and applied for residency under the Cuban Adjustment Act have not been able to legalize their immigration status, despite initially being released on parole.
These families report that, despite having fulfilled the required year and one day mandated by law and having no criminal records in Cuba or the United States, their applications have been denied by the current Administration.
“They are accusing us of having 'trafficked' our son”, Irianna Gilimas Matamoros expressed in statements to Univision, one of the mothers facing this difficult situation.
For her part, another affected individual, "Betsy," stated: “We all end up at the same point, the denial of our residency.”
The main reason for the denial, according to documents issued by an office of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in Washington D.C., is that the adults allegedly assisted their minor children in illegally entering the country, which renders them inadmissible.
"We had entered with the minor child, who was five years old at that time," explained one of the mothers.
One of the great contradictions of the case is that, while the parents are denied residency for this reason, the minors have been granted legal status.
“It has been completely unfair because we entered with our minor daughter; in our case, we received a 60-day parole. We remained for a year and a day required for the Adjustment Act and we have no criminal record either in Cuba or in the U.S.,” stated one of the affected individuals.
The lawyer Wilfredo Allen, who represents some of the families, expressed his bewilderment at the situation.
“These are not criminal cases because entering with your child across the border is not a criminal offense per se, it is not human trafficking, but they are using a part of the law to try to punish them,” he explained.
Despite everything, the lawyer remains optimistic and asserts that "they will never be deported."
According to Allen, "if they are sent to court, everything will be resolved in court," though he acknowledges that in the meantime, families are living in severe uncertainty.
Some have even had their work permits expire.
All cases have been appealed through requests for clemency, but so far the authorities have determined that they do not qualify for that recourse.
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