A Cuban resident in Jacksonville, Florida, identified on TikTok as @elsita4343, shared last Friday her experience at a check-in appointment with ICE as a holder of form I-220A, and the outcome was positive: the agents assigned her a new check-in date for the following year without any incidents.
"Everything went very well at my appointment today. They gave me an appointment for next year, and that’s it," the woman said in a video lasting less than a minute that generated hundreds of reactions in the Cuban community in the United States.
The testimony arrives at a time of high tension for the thousands of Cubans holding that document. Since 2025, multiple cases have been reported of holders of the I-220A being detained during routine appointments with ICE, including at least 18 Cubans arrested in South Florida in March of that year, a Cuban subjected to expedited removal after attending an appointment in February 2026, and two Cuban pastors detained in Texas this same month.
The case of Jacksonville carries particular significance. Immigration attorneys have warned that this city, regarded as more conservative, poses a higher risk of detention compared to ICE offices in South Florida.
However, there are also testimonies of appointments that went smoothly, such as that of a Cuban couple in Miramar in July 2025, or that of a Cuban in the same city in June of that same year.
The I-220A form is a Supervised Release Order issued by ICE that was widely used to release Cubans who crossed the southern border of the United States, particularly between 2022 and 2023. It does not equate to a parole or formal legal admission, and on its own, it does not grant immigration status or guarantee access to the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966.
Carriers must periodically attend control appointments, keep their address updated with ICE within five days of any change of residence, and obtain written permission to move. Missing an appointment may result in detention and deportation.
In legal terms, there are encouraging signs. In February 2026, an appellate court in Atlanta remanded two cases of Cubans with I-220A for new administrative review. This month, lawyers have obtained residency for clients with I-220A in Orlando, presented as a favorable precedent, while the litigation regarding whether I-220A is equivalent to parole for the purposes of the Cuban Adjustment Act remains active in several federal circuits.
@elsita4343 closed her video with a message of hope for everyone who shares her situation: "May God bless you all, and may we finally all be residents of this country with our I-220A. Thank you very much, and blessings to everyone!"
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