Related videos:
The Republican congresswoman María Elvira Salazar sent a formal letter to the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, demanding that he take concrete measures to address the immigration limbo in which thousands of Cubans who received the I-220A form instead of a parole find themselves, after crossing the border during the Biden administration.
In the letter published on her X account, Salazar warned that she had already raised this same issue with former Secretary Kristi Noem "without receiving any response or corrective action," and that the crisis in Cuba makes a solution for these families more urgent than ever.
The core of the problem lies in a systematic inconsistency in the processing of Cuban migrants: while some received parole - which allows them to apply under the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 and seek permanent residency after one year and one day in the U.S. - others, even within the same family unit and under identical circumstances, received the I-220A form, which is not recognized as parole and therefore does not provide that legal pathway.
"Instead of granting parole to Cubans, which would have allowed them to benefit from the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 as Congress intended, many were released under a Notice of Freedom under Acknowledgment (Form I-220A)," the letter states.
This disparity has created what Salazar describes as a two-tier system within the same families: some members on the path to residency and others without it, along with unnecessary asylum applications that further burden already overwhelmed immigration courts.
"The I-220A should not mean legal limbo. For years, thousands of Cuban families have lived in uncertainty because the government has handled similar cases differently. That is not justice, and I will continue to fight until these families receive the fair treatment they deserve under the law," the congresswoman stated in an official graphic released alongside the letter.
Journalistic estimates place the total number of Cubans affected by the I-220A between 400,000 and 500,000 people, although there is no official public figure.
Among them are highly qualified professionals: at least 300 Cuban doctors with I-220A have their work permits frozen in 2026, despite having passed all revalidation exams.
Salazar points out in the letter that a guide from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from last April exempted doctors from processing delays, but that "there has been no actual implementation of that guide in Florida" as of the date of his writing.
The congresswoman is requesting three specific actions from the Department of Homeland Security: to review the possibility of granting parole-in-place to Cubans with I-220A who do not have criminal records; to ensure consistent and fair treatment under the Cuban Adjustment Act; and to restore the stability and unity of Cuban families in Miami and across the country.
This is not the first time that Salazar has pushed for a solution.
Since September 2023, she has sent letters and promoted bills to regularize the situation of these migrants, yet none of her efforts have resulted in concrete action from the DHS.
In the judicial front, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta held a hearing on the legal status of the I-220A in December 2025, but as of the date of the letter, it had not yet issued a final ruling.
Multin, confirmed as Secretary of National Security on March 24, 2026, succeeding Noem, is the new recipient of Salazar's demands, who did not hide his frustration over the institutional lack of response that has accumulated over the years.
Filed under: