Cuban nationals Enrique Arias-Hierro and José Manuel Rodríguez-Quiñones, recently deported to South Sudan by U.S. immigration authorities, have been identified as residents of Florida with extensive criminal records.
Enrique Arias-Hierro, 47 years old, was a resident of Miami-Dade County in Florida.
His record includes at least seven arrests in 1997 and two more in 2006, according to state records.
He was last arrested on May 2, 2025, and he has convictions for homicide, armed robbery, identity theft, kidnapping, and violent theft.
José Manuel Rodríguez-Quiñones, 54 years old, lived in the counties of Volusia, Orange, and Brevard, also in Florida.
His first arrest dates back to 2008 in Miami-Dade County for cocaine trafficking, followed by multiple arrests between 2010 and 2021 for offenses including first-degree murder with a firearm, violent assault, theft, and drug possession.
He was recaptured on April 30, 2025, and handed over to the authorities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Both are part of the group of over 42,000 Cubans with final deportation orders that the Havana regime refuses to accept back, according to data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Deportation
The deportation flight that transported these Cuban citizens also included men from Burma, Vietnam, Mexico, Laos, and South Sudan.
The measure has been heavily challenged in U.S. courts.
A federal judge in Massachusetts, Brian E. Murphy, issued an order for the government to retain custody of the deported individuals, stating that the law was violated and that they were not given "a meaningful opportunity to contest their transfer."
Murphy had previously frozen deportation plans to conflict countries, such as Libya, without those affected being able to exhaust their legal avenues.
Response from DHS and Trump
In response, the DHS justified the action by arguing that these were extremely dangerous criminals.
“We are expelling these convicted criminals from U.S. territory so that they can never harm another American victim again,” declared Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
"It is absurd that an activist judge is trying to force the United States to bring back these uniquely brutal monsters," he added.
President Donald Trump also intervened in the debate from his network Truth Social.
"Eight of the most violent criminals on the planet will not reach their final destination due to out-of-control judges. They are harming our country,” the president claimed.
Trump added that the situation requires ICE to keep more agents outside the country instead of protecting American citizens.
The lawyer Avelino González explained in statements reported by Telemundo 51 that Havana “does not accept anyone back who left the island before 2017”, which leaves thousands of immigrants in limbo.
This void has led to "case-by-case" deportations seeking third countries, and for the DHS to explore alternative destinations, as evidenced in the case of South Sudan.
A dangerous and contradictory destiny
The choice of South Sudan as the host country has raised alarm.
The U.S. State Department itself published a report in April 2024 that cites the country for systematic human rights violations, including arbitrary killings, torture, disappearances, and gender-based violence.
Ironically, the DHS has safeguarded citizens from South Sudan within the United States by extending their temporary protected status (TPS) until November, citing that the conditions in that country are unsafe.
However, the same government is now sending deportees of other nationalities there.
Concerns among Cubans with expulsion orders
Immigration experts warn that the case sets a dangerous precedent.
"My recommendation for all these individuals facing a final deportation order is to seek a third country where they can settle and ensure stability. Otherwise, their lives could turn into a terrible nightmare," said attorney Willy Allen in statements to Café Fuerte.
Although ICE has conducted several flights to Cuba this year, all have included recently arrived migrants.
The situation continues to unfold in an atmosphere of legal, diplomatic, and political tension. The Trump administration has suspended migration talks with Cuba, and there are no signs that they will resume anytime soon.
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security seems determined to treat Cubans with deportation orders like any other criminal immigrant, without exceptions or political considerations.
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