Could Trump resolve with a signature the immigration limbo of over half a million Cubans?

Yes. President Donald Trump could resolve the immigration situation of over 500,000 Cubans who remain in legal limbo in the United States with a simple signature, as explained by attorney and journalist Jeffrey Scott Shapiro, former director of Radio and Television Martí, in a column published in The Wall Street Journal.

The lawyer argued that an executive order would be enough for the U.S. government to recognize the I-220A immigration form as a form of humanitarian parole, which would allow thousands of Cubans to benefit from the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 and obtain permanent residency.

Shapiro recalled that since 2019, the Border Patrol began releasing some migrants under "humanitarian parole," while others were released with the I-220A document, considered by authorities as a "conditional release."

In 2023, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) ruled that the I-220A did not equate to humanitarian parole, leaving hundreds of thousands of Cubans without the protection of the Adjustment Act.

Currently, the case is being litigated in federal courts of the 2nd and 11th circuits, where the plaintiffs argue that, since Cubans with I-220A were released in U.S. territory, they should be recognized as beneficiaries of humanitarian parole and have the right to regularize their status.

“The president doesn’t need to wait for the courts to decide,” Shapiro wrote. “He could use his executive authority to recognize the I-220A as humanitarian parole, eliminate the legal controversy, and save hundreds of thousands of Cubans from a life under communism.”

According to the author, this decision would not only relieve the burden on the judicial and immigration system, but it would also reaffirm the U.S. government's commitment to those who fled the Cuban regime in search of freedom.

The lawyer recalled that Congress approved the Cuban Adjustment Act in 1966 as a recognition of the repression and political persecution that citizens on the island endure.

He reiterated that, by taking action, Trump would send a clear political message against communism and in support of the Cuban exiles.

"Giving those Cubans with an I-220A the opportunity to adjust their status under the law would be a heroic gesture," wrote Shapiro, who concluded that the president has in his hands the ability to rectify a migratory injustice with a simple presidential signature.