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On February 9, the Cuban regime received a flight from ICE Air carrying 170 undocumented Cuban immigrants deported from the United States.
This is the first deportation flight to Cuba in 2026, which —according to information from the U.S. government— included individuals with convictions for serious crimes such as murder, rape, kidnapping, and drug trafficking.
Although deportation flights to Cuba have existed for years, the text published this Wednesday by ICE indicates that Havana was reluctant to accept mass deportation flights; however, under the Trump administration, these repatriation processes “are occurring at record levels,” according to the document.
The note states that the first flight to Cuba in 2026 expelled "murderers, kidnappers, rapists, drug traffickers, and other criminals," and includes specific examples of the charges attributed to several of those deported.
Among the cited cases is Yondeivis Wong Den-Hernandez, described as a "criminal illegal immigrant," who was convicted of second-degree murder in Florida and of complicity and incitement to the unlawful entry of a foreign national in Texas.
Raúl Duquenzne-Batista is also mentioned in the document in connection with the "Banda Los Habaneros" and a list of charges that includes aggravated assault, rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated injuries, aggravated robbery, and criminal use of weapons; furthermore, it is claimed that he admitted to serving 20 years in prison in Cuba for robbery.
Drug, weapon, and assault offenses: other cited examples
The text also mentions Alexander Padron-Marten, linked to "controlled substance trafficking," who was arrested in a specific operation in Philadelphia.
Orlando Sánchez-Sarría is also cited, with a list of charges that includes grand theft, drug trafficking, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, receiving stolen property, and using a firearm during a drug trafficking offense.
In another case, Miguel Ramón Caveda-Pérez is mentioned, associated with charges of rape and possession of an altered or invalid driver's license, and it is noted that he was taken into custody from a state penitentiary in South Dakota via a deportation order.
Finally, the document mentions Gaully Quintana Martínez, who is linked to aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon, arrested after serving a sentence in a correctional facility in Louisiana.
Repatriations and prior resistance of Havana to mass flights
The information suggests that while deportations to Cuba are not new, the distinguishing factor is the volume and profile of some of the deportees on the first flight of 2026, at a time when —according to the text— Cuba had shown resistance to accepting mass deportations, and now these repatriations are happening more frequently under the Trump administration.
According to the official statement from the Cuban authorities, among those deported were 153 men and 17 women. The authorities specified that three of these individuals were taken to investigative agencies as they were considered suspected perpetrators of criminal acts committed before leaving the country.
As usual, the regime reiterated its discourse on “regular, safe, and orderly” migration and once again warned about the “risks to life” that, it claims, illegal departures pose.
This flight marked the resumption of deportations after a January without air operations, occurring after the last recorded return on December 18, 2025, when 128 Cubans were sent back to the island from the U.S.
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