Immigration attorney Willy Allen warned this Monday that the travel ban imposed by the Trump Administration continues to be the main obstacle to the reunification of Cuban families, with no clear indications of when it might be lifted.
During the weekly program he has with Tania Costa on CiberCuba, Allen responded to a viewer whose family members are in the visa process but cannot enter the United States while the measure is in effect.
"Unfortunately, as long as the travel ban exists, entry will be very difficult," the lawyer stated frankly.
Faced with the implicit frustration in the inquiry, Allen acknowledged his own limitations. "I want many things too. Almost none of what I want happens to me."
However, he did not close the door to hope. "I would like for the travel ban to be lifted by the time they have their interview," he said, although he clarified that the family members will still need to attend their consular appointment when the time comes. "But they are already in the visa process. I imagine they will have to go to the interview. We'll see what happens with the interview."
The travel ban signed by Trump on June 4, 2025 came into effect on June 9 of that year and included Cuba among seven countries with partial restrictions. The measure suspended the entry of Cuban nationals as immigrants and non-immigrants in visa categories B-1, B-2, F, M, and J. The White House justified the decision based on Cuba's status as a state sponsor of terrorism, its lack of cooperation in repatriations, and the high rates of illegal stay of its nationals.
At the time of the program’s broadcast, the measure had been in effect for nearly a year. In December 2025, a new proclamation expanded the Travel Ban effective from January 1, 2026, while on January 21 of that year, the administration also implemented a "migration pause" that has halted status adjustments, naturalizations, work permits, and asylum for Cubans. The title of this Monday's program summed it up: "First day of June, a new month, the pause continues."
In that context, lawyer Liudmila Marcelo predicted in April that the green card pause could end between May and mid-June 2026, although no resolution has been reached so far.
During the same program, Allen addressed the inquiry of another viewer, who applied for residency two years and eight months ago and received an encouraging signal: when calling the Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), they were informed that their case was being adjudicated and that on May 8 it had "entered" the file.
The spectator expressed it confusingly, but Allen encouraged him: "If they're reviewing your case, maybe you're lucky and it's being approved. Let's wait for the result."
Despite the uncertain landscape, Allen has insisted in recent weeks that he trusts the U.S. legal system to curb the excesses of immigration policy. "I trust in the imperial law. In the end, I trust in the imperial courts."
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