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The former communist leader Yuniel Báez Pedrera was arrested in Miami after returning from a trip to Cuba, following immigration authorities detecting alleged fraud in his residency application.
Báez, 46 years old, is in custody at the Krome detention center in Florida and is expected to appear before an immigration judge in the coming weeks, reported Martí Noticias.
Official records indicate that he may have omitted relevant information about his past as a Cuban government official, which may constitute a possible violation of the Cuban Adjustment Act.
Báez Pedrera was for more than a decade the first secretary of the Union of Young Communists (UJC) in Havana, one of the political structures directly subordinate to the Communist Party of Cuba.
In public statements during that period, the now-detained individual advocated for the "revolutionary education" of the youth and described the organization as "the soul of the nation."
The former leader arrived in the United States on September 11, 2022, through the southern border, claiming political persecution from the same system he had served.
Shortly thereafter, he obtained permanent residency and established himself in Gainesville, Florida.
According to the cited source, in April 2024, he registered the company Pa’La Familia LLC with his wife, which is dedicated to shipping packages, selling airline tickets, and handling immigration procedures.
On social media, they also promoted food combos for Cuba, a booming business due to the scarcity the island is experiencing.
According to the investigation, Báez made several recent trips to Cuba, which raised alarms at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
He was arrested upon his return last week after inconsistencies were found in his immigration file.
The immigration attorney Ismael Labrador explained to Martí Noticias that permanent residence can be revoked if it is proven that the applicant lied or concealed their political affiliation.
"Due to membership in the Communist Party or the UJC, individuals are ineligible to obtain residency under the Cuban Adjustment Act," he warned.
If a judge confirms that Báez engaged in immigration fraud, he could face revocation of his residency, deportation, and a ban on re-entering the United States.
The case of Yuniel Báez Pedrera adds to a growing list of former officials, judges, and propagandists of the Cuban regime who have entered the North American country concealing their political history.
Among them are Jorge Javier Rodríguez Cabrera, a friend of Raúl Castro's grandson, and Orlando Ernesto Pérez Núñez, former president of the Marti Youth Movement.
While the regime in Havana continues to persecute opponents, several of its former officials now live in the United States under protected status, highlighting the double standards and internal decay of the Cuban communist system.
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