Immigration attorney Liudmila Marcelo predicted on Wednesday that the immigration pause, which freezes Green Card applications, could be lifted between May and mid-June 2026, in statements made during an interview with Tania Costa for CiberCuba.
The prediction came a day after Federal Judge George L. Russell III ordered the reactivation of residency applications for 83 immigrant plaintiffs, in a 39-page ruling that declared the pause imposed by the Trump Administration illegal.
The host Tania Costa humorously summarized Marcelo's prediction: "They will lift the pause in May or mid-June at the latest. That's Liudmila Marcelo's magic ball," also recalling that the attorney had previously been correct in predicting when the judicial decision regarding Mark Prada's lawsuit concerning the consideration of the I-220A as a parole would be announced.
Marcelo was quite direct in setting her deadline: "I have already said on several occasions that I am only giving this coming month of May, and by June I believe that if the pause has not ended, we need to start taking action," she noted in reference to the fact that starting from that deadline, she will begin to file 'mandamus', meaning she will take clients to court, considering that the pause obstructing the attainment of a Green Card or citizenship is unjustified, as recently ruled by a judge in Maryland.
Regarding Judge Russell III's ruling, Marcelo clarified that the decision only directly benefits the 83 plaintiffs, not the entire group of immigrants affected by the pause. However, he described it as an important sign. "It's an indication, Tania, that there is no legal basis to maintain this pause," he insisted.
The judge ruled in his decision that "USCIS does not have the authority to decide not to issue any opinion," which, according to Marcelo, opens the door to new legal tools. The attorney explained that she previously avoided filing mandamus—legal actions to compel a federal agency to act—because she did not want the government to use the pause as an excuse. Now, with the judge's reasoning, she believes there is grounds to include it in those filings. "Now there is, there is a judge's reasoning that one can perhaps rely on and include this kind of reasoning in our mandamus."
Even so, he warned that he hopes not to have to reach that point. "I aspire not to have to get to that, but it will be necessary to do so."
Marcelo also lamented the economic impact of these legal options on a community that is already facing serious difficulties. "Unfortunately, there are many issues that bring additional costs for the client," he said, noting that most of those affected "do not even have active work permits."
The situation regarding work permits for Cuban immigrants is equally critical according to the lawyer. “We have called, we have submitted 'requests', clients have called, I have called, every time I submit the 'request' they tell me that I can’t submit it or that they are still within the timeframe, even though a year has gone by.”
The migration pause imposed by Trump since January 21, 2026 impacts citizens from at least 39 countries, including Cuba, halting the processing of status adjustments, naturalizations, work permits, and asylum requests. The impact on Cubans has been devastating. Green Card approvals fell from over 10,000 monthly in October 2024 to just 15 in January 2026.
Marcelo also warned that the government could appeal the Maryland judge's decision, which adds uncertainty about whether the ruling will have broader effects in the short term.
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