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The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed the capture of a Cuban citizen identified as Vicente López-Padilla, previously sentenced to 60 years in prison for the murder of an 8-year-old boy.
According to the official note from ICE, the arrest took place this Tuesday as part of an operation that included other illegal immigrants with serious criminal records.
López, 63 years old, was convicted of manslaughter in Miami-Dade Countye, Florida, and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
He was also convicted for the murder of an 8-year-old boy in Cook County, Illinois, and sentenced to 60 years in prison.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the operation allowed the removal from the streets of some of the "most dangerous" criminals who were in an irregular immigration situation in the United States.
Among those detained are individuals with convictions for distributing child pornography, bank robbery, assault, and drug trafficking.
With this action, ICE reaffirmed its commitment to identifying, apprehending, and deporting individuals with a criminal history that poses a threat to public safety in the country.
In Florida, two Cuban citizens with extensive criminal records were arrested this week by agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as part of the intensified operations by the Donald Trump administration against undocumented migrants with criminal backgrounds.
Gilberto Michael Marrero Henríquez, 40 years old, was arrested for being an illegal resident since 2015 and having multiple prior convictions, including driving under the influence (DUI), fraud, grand theft, probation violations, and traffic offenses.
The ERO team in Tampa arrested Noslen Hernández Guerra, 39 years old, convicted of electronic fraud, identity theft, money laundering, and possession of counterfeiting tools.
Hernández Guerra was tried in 2017, but he had been under a final deportation order since 2016. He was remaining in the United States illegally, according to the current administration.
These detainees, in the event that the Cuban regime does not accept them back, could end up in a very different destination from their home country. A ruling from the Supreme Court overturned previous judicial restrictions and gave the White House the green light to implement the deportation measure to third countries, even in cases where allegations of torture or death risks are made.
Since then, migrants have been sent to countries such as South Sudan, Eswatini, and Rwanda, amid allegations of opacity, arbitrary detentions, and lack of access to legal defense.
Frequently asked questions about the detention of Cubans by ICE
Who is Vicente López-Padilla and why was he arrested?
Vicente López-Padilla is a Cuban citizen sentenced to 60 years in prison for the murder of an 8-year-old child in Cook County, Illinois. He was arrested by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in an operation aimed at capturing illegal immigrants with serious criminal backgrounds.
What other individuals were arrested in the ICE operation?
In addition to Vicente López-Padilla, other illegal immigrants with records of serious crimes such as child pornography distribution, bank robbery, and drug trafficking were arrested. Among them were Gilberto Michael Marrero Henríquez and Noslen Hernández Guerra, both Cuban citizens with extensive criminal histories.
Why does the Cuban government refuse to accept its deported citizens?
The Cuban regime systematically refuses to accept citizens with serious convictions, despite the migration agreements with the United States. This reluctance has led the U.S. government to deport these individuals to third countries, often without adequate legal guarantees.
What measures does ICE take with detainees who cannot be deported to Cuba?
In cases where Cuba does not accept its citizens with criminal records, ICE can deport them to third countries, such as South Sudan or Rwanda, even if there are risks of torture or death, thanks to a Supreme Court ruling that allows these deportations without legal guarantees.
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