Mother of Cuban deported by ICE calls for his return to Cuba: "My son was sick"

Maidelin Bolaño Aguado, mother of the Cuban Henry Negrín Bolaño, reached out for assistance through several emails sent to CiberCuba so that her son could return to the island, after being informed of his deportation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

In his messages, he states that his son suffered from mental health issues and rejects treating him as a criminal.

"My son is not a criminal. My son was suffering from a nervous illness; he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital four times in the United States. I do not agree with the deportation of my son to other countries; he is Cuban, and I want to claim him," she wrote.

Henry Negrín, 33 years old, was deported from New Orleans on September 20, according to ICE on their official X account, after serving a five-year sentence for an assault conviction committed under "extreme emotional distress." Prior to his deportation, he was booked for "immigration hold" in Clay County, Indiana. ICE did not specify to which country he was deported.

However, despite the official information released by the agency, the mother maintains that her son has not yet been expelled from the United States. “My son is at the border of Mexico and the U.S. in immigration; that news was false, he hasn't been deported,” she stated in one of her messages sent to this outlet.

In another message, she explained that she didn't know how to proceed to reclaim her son or if the Cuban government would accept him back. “I also do not agree that he be sent to any other country. Henry is from Cuba, and I want to reclaim my son. I don’t know if the Cuban government agrees to accept deported Cubans or not, but I want my son in Cuba. I need help to reclaim my son,” she wrote. The woman shared her phone number to receive guidance.

The deportation of Henry Negrín takes place in a context where the United States has intensified its policy of expelling immigrants with criminal records. Last June, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld that the administration of President Donald Trump could resume deportations to third countries, even without the need to assess whether migrants face risks of persecution or torture in those destinations.

Since then, ICE has carried out deportations of Cuban citizens to countries such as Eswatini, South Sudan, Uganda, El Salvador, and Mexico, when Cuba has refused to accept its nationals with a criminal record.

One of the most recent cases was that of the Cuban Adermis Wilson González, sentenced for the hijacking of a plane in 2003, who was deported to Mexico after serving 20 years in prison in the United States. There has also been the expulsion of a Cuban identified as C.R.L., with a record for bank fraud, who was deported to that same country after months of waiting in a detention center, as he was not accepted by the Cuban government.

Although Havana has stated in official declarations that it is willing to accept its deported citizens, multiple court rulings and specific cases reveal that there are selective rejections, especially concerning individuals with prior convictions. This leaves many migrants trapped in legal limbo or exposed to being sent to nations where they have no family ties or guarantees of protection.

In her final message, Maidelin Bolaño reiterated her plea: "I want my son back in Cuba, please. I am his mother. Help."

Frequently Asked Questions About the Deportation of Cubans by ICE