The immigration lawyer Willy Allen warned this Monday that even Cuban immigrants without criminal records face a real risk of being detained and deported, following the announcement by the "border czar" Tom Homan to add 7,000 new agents to ICE, with another 3,000 in training at the federal academy, to meet the mass deportation goals of the Trump administration.
Allen issued the warning in an interview with Tania Costa for CiberCuba, where he directly answered the question of whether those who have not committed crimes —including individuals with form I-220A— can escape this wave.
Her response was emphatic: "So far, almost 75% of the individuals detained by ICE are people who have no crimes, who are not criminals."
The data debunks the official narrative that ICE focuses solely on dangerous criminals.
Figures from TRAC (Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse) confirm this trend: as of January 25, 2026, 74.2% of those detained in ICE facilities had no criminal record.
Despite the situation, Allen insisted that there is a way out: "There are always solutions. There is a way to be saved."
One of the main concerns is Florida. Allen expressed surprise at the governor's level of commitment to immigration operations: "I never expected that a governor of a state like Florida, which has such a large Hispanic population, would be willing to have the state with the most detentions."
The lawyer explained that the governor has committed all local and state police to detain anyone who is not a resident or citizen and has an I-220A, a parole, or is awaiting their residency.
Florida is the only state where all 67 counties have active agreements with ICE, making it the state with the highest number of detentions in the country.
Allen also referenced a study from the Cato Institute that indicates USCIS itself would be "dragging its feet to delay the process by which people can legalize, in order to have more individuals available for detentions."
The deployment of the 7,000 new ICE agents spans about 40 states and Puerto Rico, with Texas receiving the largest number of officers and Miami as a priority destination, reported Univisión.
Homan stated last Tuesday on Fox News that "millions" of deportations are needed and estimated that there are over 20 million foreign nationals in an irregular situation in the country.
In light of that scenario, Allen identified two sources of hope.
The first is the federal courts: last week, their legal team achieved the release of three individuals who were detained without any criminal charges, and the federal court in Maryland benefited 83 individuals who were part of a class-action lawsuit. A federal circuit also ordered that the legalization process be restarted.
The second hope is the November 2026 elections. Allen explained that if the Democrats regain the House and the Senate, "they can indeed limit the funds that can be used."
"And they can have investigations into how they are acting." However, he clarified that an electoral victory would not immediately eliminate what is already happening.
"I have hope: one, that the Federal Courts will uphold the law. Two, that a November election will bring about a substantial change that helps pave a different path for the future of immigration," Allen concluded.
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