The Cuban poet and essayist Michael H. Miranda openly questioned on Monday the veracity of the figure of 500,000 Cubans who are supposedly in deportation negotiations between Washington and Havana, noting that the information comes from a source he considers unreliable and that could be manipulated by the Cuban regime.
The figure was reported by Joe García, former Cuban-American Democratic congressman from Florida, in the context of the diplomatic contacts between Cuba and the United States that have intensified in May 2026. Neither government has officially confirmed or denied that figure or the existence of an agreement regarding it.
"I believe that the news, as I received it, comes from a source that I find not very credible, which is Joe García," Miranda stated in an interview with Tania Costa, in CiberCuba.
Miranda described García as a "very controversial" figure within the Cuban exile community due to his ties to Havana. "We have seen Joe García traveling to Havana; he has been received by Díaz-Canel and is part of those delegations of more left-leaning entrepreneurs and politicians from the United States who have traveled to Havana and held meetings with representatives of the dictatorship."
The essayist was direct in pointing out the reasons for his skepticism: "That Joe García would say something like that without having verified that information with another source raises my suspicion."
Miranda also raised a question that she considers fundamental: "To what extent is that figure being manipulated by the Cuban regime is something that should also be questioned."
This caution aligns with the warning given by the U.S. Secretary of State, according to host Tania Costa. "Marco Rubio has already said it, and I’ve told the press, not to trust any information that does not come from the State Department."
Beyond the specific figure, Miranda framed the debate within a broader migration context. “We are talking about a very complex moment from a migration standpoint, not only for Cubans but also for the United States.”
The essayist noted that the last five, six, or seven years have been "very difficult" at the southern border of the United States, with significant participation from Cubans who entered through this route under the Cuban Adjustment Act, a status that, as he acknowledged, introduces "an element obviously in favor of the Cuban exile."
However, Miranda criticized the tendency to analyze migration from a single perspective. "In migration, there are always at least two groups involved: those who receive and those who arrive. They tend to think that we must always adopt the narrative of those who come. But it is also important to weigh both sides."
The historical context reinforces skepticism about the feasibility of any mass deportation. Since April 2023, only one deportation flight per month has been conducted between the two countries, with fewer than a thousand people repatriated in over a year and a half.
"I believe that organized and orderly migration is always much more important than uncontrolled migration," concluded Miranda.
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