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Randy Mesa Padrón, a 30-year-old Cuban barber from Pinar del Río, has been held for over a year in a migrant detention center in Mississippi despite not having committed any crime, while his family highlights the devastating human, legal, and economic impact of an unending detention.
According to a report by Telemundo 51 Miami, Mesa gave an interview from the detention center itself, in which he candidly described his situation. Telemundo attempted to obtain a response from ICE and the Border Patrol, but neither agency replied by the publication date.
"Being imprisoned for a year without having committed any crime."
Mesa entered the United States through the southern border in February 2022 with the I-220A form, which allowed him to remain in the country under supervision while his immigration process progressed. He attended all required appointments. However, on June 3, 2025, during a hearing in Miami, his application for political asylum was dismissed.
"I was waiting for ICE at the door. From that moment until today, I have been detained," he recounted from his cell.
"It's something I never imagined, being imprisoned for a year without having committed any crime is really difficult," he added.
From the center, Mesa also raised his voice for the other migrants: “Our rights as human beings must be respected. We are not criminals.”
The physical and emotional deterioration after a year of confinement
The passage of time in detention hasleft visible marks on Randy Mesa, who described in detail the personal cost of his incarceration.
“Imagine that in a year I have only been able to see my wife once. I have lost more than 30 pounds. I have gotten many gray hairs from the stress.”, he confessed.
About the situation he observes daily within the center, he was emphatic: “In this place, we see very few people leave, only deportation. And those who do not accept deportation are like me.”
Mesa also noted that migrants continue to arrive at the center and that most remain detained because they refuse to be deported.
The legal strategy and the deliberate relocation to Mississippi
The lawyer Wilfredo Allen, one of the three legal representatives of Mesa, appealed the cancellation of the asylum and filed a habeas corpus petition before the Federal Court of the Southern District of Mississippi.
The government responded in April 2026, but no decision has been issued to date.
Allen reported that the arrest is part of a deliberate strategy: "They are forcing him to close the asylum in an attempt to deport and detain him."
The lawyer also questioned the transfer of migrants from Florida
"I believe they have deliberately moved people from Florida to Louisiana, to Mississippi, to places where they know that the federal districts there have already ruled against releasing individuals."
About the judges handling these cases, Allen was straightforward: “Who are the judges in detention? Most are former military personnel who have been chosen, and their job is to deny.”
Mesa is located at the Adams County Correctional Center in Natchez, the same facility where the Cuban rapper known as El Insurrecto is also held, detained in December 2025.
The family, split between Miami and Cuba
Randy's wife, Roxana Reguero, 28 years old, also Cuban and a legal resident, has taken on the economic and emotional burden by herself. "It has been very tough for me. I never thought I would find myself alone in this great country," she expressed.
The plans that the couple had built over the years were shattered: "We spent three years preparing to buy a house, and now everything has gone to lawyers in an instant," she lamented.
Mesa has three legal avenues available: the appeal of the denied asylum, a family petition I-130 filed by his wife in December 2024, and his Cuban Adjustment status, which has not been revoked.
The family is also relying on a management effort with Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart, who reportedly indicated that he will review the case.
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