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Ángel Luis Meléndez, a Cuban migrant who lived in the United States for four years, claims to be in a state of total uncertainty after being expelled by U.S. immigration authorities and handed over to Mexican immigration forces.
He was taken to Mexico despite the fact that the government of that country has publicly insisted that it has not agreed to receive deportees of other nationalities.
The account of Meléndez, captured by Univision, describes an abrupt and traumatic process that began after the dismissal of his political asylum application.
Ángel Luis, after spending 25 days in detention at the center known as Alligator Alcatraz, was transferred from El Paso, Texas, to a border point where, according to his statements, agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) directly handed him over to Mexican authorities.
“They will hand you over to the Mexican side, they are waiting for you there,” declared Meléndez.
Once in Mexico, he was detained for entering without legal status.
Mexican immigration authorities transferred him to Chihuahua, where he remained in custody for three days before being released.
However, his current situation is uncertain: he does not have valid documentation, nor has he been officially recognized as a refugee or asylee, which leaves him, in his own words, "in a legal limbo."
Discreet deportation without guarantees
The treatment received by Meléndez at the Alligator Alcatraz detention center was described as “a hell.”
He assures that he had never been deprived of his freedom before, and that his stay in the Everglades center left a deep emotional impact on him.
In light of his new reality, he is now considering applying for political asylum in Mexico, although he has not formally initiated that process yet.
Meléndez was not the only one to be expelled in this manner. His partner stated that they know of other Cubans who have experienced similar situations.
She specifically referred to the case of a woman whose husband was deported to Villahermosa, Mexico, still wearing the prison uniform he had on during his detention in the United States.
Mexico denies being a "safe third country."
The statements from the migrant contrast with what Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed, who categorically rejected on June 24 that Mexico has signed any agreement with the United States to become a "safe third country" in the management of migration policy.
"Mexico has not signed any of that," Sheinbaum stated during her regular morning conference. When asked if her government was considering doing so in the future, her response was definitive: "No."
Sheinbaum explained that, in cases where foreign individuals enter Mexico for humanitarian reasons, the country operates under principles of respect for human rights.
Mexican authorities, he said, first check if migrants wish to return to their country of origin, and if not, they look for alternatives for their temporary integration in Mexican territory.
According to official data, from January 20, 2025 - the date when Donald Trump assumed the presidency of the United States again - until the end of June, more than 651,000 people had entered Mexico, of which 5,728 were foreigners.
However, it has not been publicly specified which nationalities make up that group.
Reports from NGOs and direct repatriations
Non-governmental organizations have reported an increase in human rights violations due to the use of the Mexican National Guard in immigration control efforts.
Meanwhile, Sheinbaum emphasized that the United States has direct repatriation agreements with multiple countries, which - in theory - would make it unnecessary to hand over foreigners to Mexico for their subsequent return.
He even mentioned that Washington has repatriated migrants "as far as Africa" without requiring Mexican mediation, which calls into question the practice of expelling Cubans and leaving them on Mexican territory without a clear legal basis.
Amid these diplomatic contradictions and opaque procedures, Ángel Luis Meléndez is stranded in Mexico, with few clear options and no defined legal path.
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