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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) included a Cuban citizen on Friday in the official list "Worst of the Worst," which comprises immigrants with criminal records who have been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to information published on the DHS portal, the Cuban identified as Evis Peguero-Cotarelo is listed among the most dangerous criminals recently arrested by ICE in various raids conducted across the country.
According to the official statement, the Cuban citizen was convicted of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon in Miami-Dade County, Florida.
The announcement is part of an update released on January 23 by the DHS, in which the agency highlighted the detention of immigrants with convictions for violent crimes, including murders, rapes, armed robberies, and connections to gangs such as MS-13.
“The president Trump and Secretary Noem have given ICE the green light to pursue the worst of the worst,” stated the Under Secretary of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, while presenting the results of the operation.
The official statement emphasizes that, according to data from DHS itself, 70% of the arrests made by ICE involve undocumented immigrants accused or convicted of crimes in the United States.
The agency invited citizens to consult the complete list of detainees on the public platform WOW.DHS.Gov, which displays individual profiles including name, country of origin, and criminal record.
The same record includes other immigrants arrested during the day, including a Salvadoran citizen linked to MS-13, a Mexican convicted of rape, and a Jamaican sentenced for armed bank robberies.
The DHS presented these cases as part of a deportation strategy that prioritizes individuals with a criminal history.
U.S. authorities have insisted that these operations aim to strengthen internal security and fulfill the promise to intensify deportations, starting with immigrants deemed most dangerous.
According to the DHS, the current administration is on track for a "historic year" in terms of immigration control, with record numbers of expulsions, a reduction in drug trafficking, and a sustained tightening of ICE actions nationwide.
In addition to the high-profile cases that DHS highlights as "the worst of the worst," there are also other arrests of Cubans by ICE in recent immigration operations that are not isolated incidents.
In recent months, Cuban citizens from various backgrounds have been detained by U.S. immigration authorities under different circumstances, ranging from voluntary appearances at immigration offices to incidents in cities like New Orleans or Boston, where some faced charges including vehicle assault or more serious offenses attributed by the local prosecutor's office.
These arrests, which are part of an aggressive enforcement policy of immigration laws, have been recorded on both news portals and community monitoring platforms, illustrating how Cubans who are either residents or in the process of regularization have ended up in ICE custody in various parts of the country.
The intensification of raids and the expansion of ICE's powers have also provoked a strong reaction from Democratic politicians and civil rights advocates in the United States.
Legislators such as Senator Richard Blumenthal have called for investigations into internal directives that would allow immigration agents to enter homes with "administrative orders" without judicial review, labeling these practices as a threat to the fundamental freedoms protected by the Constitution.
In addition, during the recent Congressional votes on DHS funding, many Democrats opposed allocating more resources to ICE, citing concerns about abuse of power, indiscriminate detentions, and human rights violations, especially following incidents of excessive force and deaths in custody.
These criticisms reflect a broader national debate regarding the role of ICE and the priorities of the U.S. immigration system in the face of increasingly strict security policies.
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