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The mother of Jorge Luis Piloto Rodríguez, a Cuban with no criminal record in the United States, is asking immigration authorities to give her son a chance, as he has been detained by ICE for over a year under an I-220A order since May 2025.
Piloto was arrested after attending an immigration court, a practice that has become common since the tightening of immigration policies under the Trump administration.
Despite having his "credible fear" interview approved —which acknowledges that he has valid grounds to fear persecution if he returns to Cuba— his bail hearing was denied, and he must wait for his final asylum court hearing while remaining in detention.
Her mother, who along with her husband are political refugees in the United States and were part of the Miranda group, is seriously ill and was in a coma for six months.
Jorge Luis is their only financial support, and the family fears his deportation since he was also a dissident in Cuba.
The case is accumulating tragedies. According to people close to him, during Jorge Luis's year of detention, his father passed away from a heart attack caused by the anguish of the situation.
Emileysi Soto, quien conoce el caso de cerca, escribió: «Perdió a su padre en el proceso a causa de un infarto del sufrimiento que ha causado todo un año en detención, pasando por varios procesos, sin dejar defender su asilo con todas las pruebas y mucho más. Esto no se lo podemos desear a nadie».
Alexei Pérez, childhood friend of Piloto Rodríguez and who was detained in the same facility for over a year and two months before being released, confirmed the truth of the case: "He has no criminal record or anything pending with the authorities of this great country. He is just another Cuban who came to this country seeking a better future and to help his mother, who is very ill and depends 100% on him."
The case fits within a broader pattern. Since the beginning of Trump's second term, the number of Cubans with I-220A detained has continued to rise, with arrests reported even during routine appointments and appearances in immigration courts.
ICE has argued that holders of the I-220A are "applicants for admission" and therefore ineligible for bond, although immigration judges have the authority to decide on a case-by-case basis.
There are, however, precedents that offer hope. In February 2026, a judge granted residency to a Cuban with I-220A, and in April another Cuban with that status was released after ten months in detention.
Furthermore, last Thursday a federal judge overturned four policies of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that had left the immigration applications of nationals from 39 countries, including Cuba, in legal limbo, in a ruling that could benefit pending cases like that of Piloto Rodríguez.
The family and loved ones of Jorge Luis continue to seek support from the Cuban community to prevent his deportation, while he remains in detention awaiting the outcome of his final asylum hearing.
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